


Bloodbound

by BlueCrownFics



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Demons & Witches, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, But A Sweet One, Demon!Ryuji, Familiar!Morgana, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Protagonist Goes By Ren, Ren is Satanael's son, Ren is a little shit, Slice of Life, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Witch!Ann, Witch!Haru, Yusuke is a Witch, but mostly Yusuke-centric, catlike-demon Ren is my jam, catlike-demons, switching POVs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2019-11-19 14:37:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18137045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueCrownFics/pseuds/BlueCrownFics
Summary: Yusuke is a witch in training who accidentally summons the son of Satanael during his first attempt at Familiar summoning, and doesn’t know how to undo the spell that binds them together.Ren, the demonling dragged into the mortal world, has to deal with being a demon outside of the Metaverse and hopes beyond hope he knows how to play it cool at being a Witch’s familiar. Too bad he didn’t think things through.or alternatively: A summoning gone awry leads Yusuke to fate in more ways than expected.A.K.A.The demon/witch AU I didn't need, but always wanted.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a heads up: Ren doesn't actually appear until chapter 3. I had to cut up chapter 1 because it was getting too long and I was dying a slow death while writing it, hah!
> 
> The rest of the P5 cast will make an appearance as the story goes on and the explicit rating is there for a reason ;3
> 
> Welcome to the Demon/Witch AU that doesn't need to exist but does anyway because I have needs!

The symbols he sees glowing in the darkness are unlike anything he’s encountered before. Long jagged lines, thick curves, and swirling circles—Yusuke knows, in the farthest reaches of his consciousness, that these symbols are things he should know, but may have been lost to time. They’re runes; for spells or rituals, he’s not sure what category they belong to, but he’s certain that’s what they are.

Runes: energy imbued symbols that act as a conduit between the magic that flows in his veins and the outside world. Yes, they were runes, but Yusuke couldn’t recall where and when he’d seen such strange, jagged symbols in his life. And he’s studied many throughout the years, but these? They were unlike anything he’d ever seen.

He reaches for them, a pale hand illuminated by their iridescent glow, his fingers extended as he tries to grasp the floating symbols. They dance beyond his touch, their light warm and soft, yet bright against the black veil. His body feels light yet sluggish; his motions take more effort than he would like. He urges his legs to move forward, and they do, slow as molasses. The symbols quiver around him, their shapes distorting.

His vision blurs.

His mouth flies open, words on the tip of his tongue as he tries to speak but then—

His eyes snap open and Yusuke suddenly finds himself staring into the wooden ceiling of his bedroom. His heart is racing, beating harshly against his chest as he breathes. Unblinking, he takes a deep breath. Holds. Then releases. Back and forth until the rapid pace of his heart finally settles and he feels more comfortable in his skin than he did before.

“Again?” He whispers, voice hoarse from sleep. His eyes burn from the sudden awakening, but his body begins to buzz with energy for the day. The last remnants of sleep are chased away as he thinks about the hazy and distorted symbols. “Must I be plagued with such senseless nightmares?”

They’re not nightmares, but the sense of distortion he gets from these dreams disturbs him. He wakes up in the same way, always breathless and anxious; sometimes sweaty and bothered. The longer he lays there, chasing the remnants of his dreams, the quicker they fade. 

It’s always the same, almost every night now.

Yusuke heaves a heavy breath. He runs slender fingers through his hair then forces himself out of bed to get the day started.

One of the things Yusuke dislikes about his rune related dreams is that it always wakes him up far too early in the morning. The sun is still ascending when Yusuke draws the curtains open. He’s momentarily blinded by the blazing, warm hues that paint the brightening skies. As his eyes adjust, he takes a moment to admire its beauty, studying the way darkness gives way to the light of the sun.

He’ll paint the sunrise and sunset sometime soon, he promises. Right now, Yusuke’s sense of duty urges him to keep moving.

He gets ready for the day; sheds his night clothes and changes them for new ones. He brushes his teeth and his hair and remakes his bed until everything is spotless and neat, just as Sensei expects of him. 

He hurries down into the kitchen, gathering ingredients for his Sensei’s favorite meal while he fixes himself something quick and easy. It's not nearly as delicious as what his Sensei will be feasting upon, but it quells the gnawing hunger in Yusuke’s stomach and puts him in a much more calmer mood. The symbols from his dreams dance just beyond his consciousness as he waits for the water to boil.

He grits his teeth, frustrated. One symbol appears vividly in his mind and it irritates him how he can’t recall the others but this one. It’s one of the more intricate runes, long and jagged, with thick strokes in the way their lines are formed. He can almost imagine how his wrist is meant to move when creating that rune.

Without realizing it, Yusuke grabs a napkin from the countertop, smooths it flat with careful, delicate strokes and then scans the kitchen for something to write with. His eyes zero in on a vial of squid ink tucked away on one of the cabinets. As his Sensei’s breakfast simmers, Yusuke plucks the vial from the cabinet, pours it into a small measuring bowl and dips an index finger into the ink.

With precise movements, he lets his wrist move. Squid ink stains the napkin; it spiders along the fabric, first a dark, rich black then lightens to gray. Yusuke dips his finger into the bowl again and continues to mimic the movements of his dream until the strange rune takes form right before his eyes. On the last stroke, the napkin curls around the edges of the rune.

Yusuke examines it for a moment, brows furrowed in concentration. It makes no sense to him no matter what angle he twists the napkin. And yet, as he holds the napkin against his palm and feels the weight of magic weighing the thin fabric down, Yusuke  _ knows  _ it’s important. He can practically feel the weight of magic that lies within the carefully drawn symbol. He just doesn’t understand it yet.

Snapping back to reality, Yusuke folds the napkin and returns to preparing his Sensei’s breakfast.

He’s only just finished preparing his Sensei’s plate when Madarame finally drifts into the kitchen, looking refined and smug, yet also groggy despite getting a good night's rest.

“Good morning, Sensei,” Yusuke bows politely. He steps aside from the table as Madarame approaches and waits until the old man takes a seat to examine his plate. When Madarame makes no comment, merely gives Yusuke a curt nod, Yusuke turns his attention toward the sink and washes the dishes.

They’re silent for the moment, the only sounds filling the room come from the rush of water as Yusuke rinses the soapy suds from his plate. It’s not until Yusuke dries off the last pot he used to prepare breakfast and placed it back into the bottom cabinet that Madarame finally calls his name.

“Yes, Sensei?” Yusuke replies obediently, turning his whole body to face his Sensei.

Madarame swallows whatever food he has in his mouth and settles the younger male with a curious look.

“Have you prepared for today’s ritual?” He asks, turning his attention back toward his breakfast. He was nearly finished.

Yusuke thinks back to earlier in the week when Madarame handed him a grocery list of supplies they would need for today’s ritual.

“Yes, Sensei,” He says with a curt nod. “I have measured the required materials to your exact specifications.” And by exact specifications, Yusuke means he had to modify Madarame’s original measurements as they wouldn’t have been sufficient otherwise. His Sensei may have been a great artist, but an expert in magic, let alone summoning magic, he was not. Yusuke keeps that part to himself.

It's far too early in the morning to anger his Sensei.

“Are you certain? Everything must go according to plan, do you hear me?” Madarame settles him with a stern glare.

It takes a lot of Yusuke’s will power to keep his expression composed. His muscle stiffens ever so lightly beneath his clothes, but he’s mastered the art of composure when in the presence of his Sensei. Even if he can’t quite control the way his shoulders tense, Yusuke knows Madarame isn’t nearly as perceptive as the older man likes to think he is.

He bows politely, reassuring his Sensei that he did, in fact, measure everything to his Sensei’s specifications. His bow is a ruse. He takes that moment to clench a fist for a moment then loosens his fingers when he straightens his back again.

Madarame looks pleased, and he finishes the last of his breakfast before he rises from the table and excuses himself.

“Then I will prepare for the ritual.  _ You  _ have ten minutes to clean up and prepare the basement before I join you.”

“Yes, Sensei.”

“Oh, and do take care not to over season my breakfast again.”

“ _ Yes _ , Sensei.”

Yusuke waits until Madarame leaves the room before he scoops up his Sensei’s mess and hastily cleans. 

He doesn’t need more than ten minutes to prepare. The summoning ritual Madarame wants him to prepare isn’t overly complicated. The runes are simple, almost elementary if Yusuke dares allow himself to be so bold, and the ingredients required are things easily found in any regular supermarket in Tokyo. Why Madarame couldn’t gather the ingredients himself is lost on Yusuke, but he supposes he should be grateful his Sensei had allowed him enough freedom to explore the city on these ingredient runs.

Not only that, Madarame takes far too long in frivolous preparation for a ritual that any witch-in-training could do. Still, Yusuke hastily dries the clean dishes and hurries out of the room.

Underneath the Atelier is a basement built specifically for Madarame’s private summoning rituals. It’s large and spacious, about the size of the Atelier itself, and acts not only as a private place for rituals, but also as storage for their art supplies, especially the larger, harder to find canvases. (Getting them out of the basement before learning the shrinking spell had been such a pain when Yusuke was younger.) Despite having helped Madarame since childhood with these rituals, Yusuke still doesn’t know what his Sensei tries to do down here on a bi-weekly basis. 

Lately, however, Yusuke has noticed the oddly specific range of ingredients on the list. Today’s ingredients, luckily, are much more common, but Yusuke wouldn’t be surprised if Madarame asks for something impossible  to find in the market. The last peculiar ingredient Yusuke had to deal with involved him traveling to the Witch’s black market, getting swindled out of most of his money and then getting lost on the way back to the Atelier. Rare ingredients are rare for a reason, so Yusuke hopes it would be the last time he’d need to deal with those.

Knowing Madarame, however, Yusuke knows it won’t be the last time.

He flips on the light switch for the basement and hurries down the stone steps as the light illuminates the cold, room. He walks past the sorted, blank canvas piles, buckets of paint, extra easel stands and other miscellaneous art products until he passes under a decorated, iron arch. He shoves the beads that hang from the iron archway aside as he walks through, and makes a beeline toward the corner of the room where old and dusty cabinets lined the cement walls.

He works quickly, having already prepared the ingredients the night before. He only stops to recheck the supplies and pulls out a decently thick tome from the drawer.

“Ah, there you are,” He murmurs, brushing the new layer of dust from the cover. “I mustn’t leave this down here again.”

He unlocks the book and revels in the soft, crinkling of worn pages as he opens it. He inhales the scent of the tome, it’s a bad habit he developed as a kid, but can’t bring himself to break it. The musty scent of old books and the freshly printed pages of new ones is something Yusuke always finds comfort in.

His tome isn’t particularly old—not as old as most tomes tend to be for Witches—but this one is something his mother had prepared for him shortly before her passing, and despite his gentle, loving care, the edges of the pages have wrinkled and turned yellow. Its binding is thick and sturdy, the glue within still holds strong, though Yusuke supposes he shouldn’t be surprised.

His mother was a strong witch after all. Or at least that’s what Madarame used to tell him.

He skims through the pages in search for the page he marked yesterday for today’s ritual. Gray eyes noting the various familiar runes and spells, some written in his own hand, others written in his mother’s, until he finds the page he’s looking for and sets the tome down on the desk to prepare.

This isn’t the first ritual Yusuke has done for Madarame and he knows it won’t be the last. Ever since his powers manifested at the age of four—or even earlier than that if Yusuke’s memories are correct—he’s always been dragged into Madarame’s summoning rituals. Before then, he was just a witness, watching Madarame mark the ground with whatever ingredient he needed at the time. He used to love the way his Sensei would write runes on the cement floor; used to relish in the tingly sensation of magic that danced in the air. Madarame wasn’t always successful in his summonings, but the man had a flair about him. He made magic look fun.  _ Beautiful.  _

Yusuke learned that Magic is like art, beautiful to behold, but a devilish temptress. And summoning, which is only one subset of magic, enraptured Yusuke’s young heart then just as it did now. 

As Yusuke gathers supplies into his arms, he re-reads the marked page of his tome. The spell for today is a common summoning ritual, though the main ingredients listed within his tome don’t match the ingredients Madarame asked of him. It’s not unusual and Yusuke is used to the changes. He isn’t sure what Madarame is looking for specifically, and the last few months of preparing the same ritual, with varying degrees of ingredients, have given Yusuke no further insight into Madarame’s desires.

Today, though, Yusuke hopes whatever his Sensei does end up summoning will be of use to them. Last week, it was more cleaning detergent. On that past Monday, Madarame summoned a tank full of lobsters  _ with  _ the lobsters still inside. (Eating them had been just as delicious as drawing them.)

He falls to his knees and begins to prepare, though his thoughts wander to the ingredients in his hands. He rolls the stick of chalk around in his fingers, quietly marveling at the way it coats his fingertips in white. It's smooth and slender within his grip and as he presses it against the cement ground, he watches the way the tip crumbles.

_ Chalk is a weak substitute _ . He muses, rotating his body as he carefully draws a large, summoning circle.  _ Perhaps if Sensei cared to explore other mediums, he may find more success in his efforts.  _ He chuckles quietly.

But chalk is a sufficient enough conduit to channel magic, especially from those who have… less than ideal control of it. But Yusuke can never admit that openly to Madarame, unless he wanted to be punished for it.

Once the circle is complete and the runes are written in their proper places, Yusuke goes to prepare the ingredients he plans on outlining the chalk markings with. He’s in the middle of crushing herbs into paste when his Sensei makes his presence known. He passes through the irony archway, the beads jingling wildly and steps into the private ritual room. He’s dressed in his usual summoning robes, the same ones he ends up using for painting since both practices tend to get messy, and eyes the chalk-drawn summoning circle with a critical eye.

Yusuke steels himself for the critiquing. Madarame was not, in any sense of the word, a skillful Witch, but he  _ is  _ a skillful artist, and a proper summoning required a kind of finesse most skilled artists would be able to replicate. He circles the room with a searching eye, stroking his beard as he moves. He stops by the entrance way once he’s done a full circle and claps his hands behind his back.

“Decent work, Yusuke,” he says gruffly. “Your strokes have improved.”

“Thank you, Sensei,” Yusuke mutters politely. He falls to his knees again and begins to paints the lines with the paste. 

He works in silence for a moment, his eyes darting between his work to his Sensei, who watches him with an expression Yusuke believes may be boredom. It’s not until he’s run through two bowls of mixed ingredients does Yusuke clear his throat.

“Sensei, if I may inquire about something? Regarding the spell for today.” He adds hastily.

With his back turned toward Madarame, he doesn’t see the quirked eyebrow his Sensei gives him.

“And that is?”

“The spell is incomplete.” 

“Is it now?” Madarame hums. 

Yusuke isn’t sure if Madarame’s reply is a good one or a bad one. He finishes with the summoning circle and climbs to his feet, turning his attention back to his Sensei.

“Yes. While I understand this is a spell you’ve used for several months now, years even, I do believe the reason why the ritual isn’t—“  _ Successful _ “—producing results may be due to the fact that the spell is incomplete.”

Madarame strokes his chin, looking almost thoughtful. “You think so?” He questions.

Yusuke hesitates, but nods. “Yes, Sensei.”

“Tell me, Yusuke,” His Sensei begins and Yusuke can’t help but prepare himself for what he knows is coming. “Are you a master in the arts of summoning?”

“No, Sensei.”

“Did you  _ invent  _ spell writing, Yusuke?”

Yusuke lowers his eyes to the ground and shakes his head. “No, Sensei.”

“Is your commentary warranted, Yusuke?”

Yusuke grimaces. “No, Sensei. My apologies, Sensei.” He bows low, bent at the waist though he knows it’s a pointless gesture. 

“Now, are you finished, boy?”

It takes Yusuke a moment to realize Madarame isn’t referring to their conversation. He quickly straightens himself and steps away from the circle, allowing his Sensei to take his rightful place facing the northern side of the room. Yusuke hands him the tome in which a copy of the spell is stabled into the pages and prepares himself for the light show to come.

Yusuke watches while his master reads the spell from the book and tries his best to keep from grimacing. This is another reason why Yusuke knows the ritual won’t be successful today, tomorrow or any other day of the year. Madarame’s mispronunciation of an incomplete spell butchers any likelihood of success.

The lights in the basement begin to flicker as Madarame repeats the spell. A current of air Yusuke knows comes from Madarame’s magic whips through the room. The paste covered lines begin to glow green as the air tingles with energy. Yusuke watches as the lines begin to morph and dance, swirling into the air, right in dead center of the summoning circle, until it converges and shrinks into a bright, dark green light. It explodes, illuminating the room in a blinding flash. The beads rattle from the explosion and the ground shakes briefly from the force of it all, but soon, the bright light dies down. 

Yusuke opens his eyes, anxious to see what new thing his Sensei has summoned and nearly faints from excitement.

A pile of brand new paint supplies lies in the center of a burnt, smoldering circle.

Madarame growls in frustration. He slams Yusuke’s tome against the desk and pinches the bridge of his nose. He whirls around to Yusuke, who tries to keep his face a mask of indifference despite the immense joy bubbling inside.

“Clean up this mess,” His Sensei demands then points a wrinkled finger toward the newly summoned supplies. “And dispose of those however you see fit. We shall try in a week. I will have a new list of ingredients ready for you tomorrow.”

“Yes, Sensei. Thank you, Sensei,” Yusuke says, genuinely pleased. “Sensei, I know it’s not my place to ask, but if you would so kindly allow me to understand what it is you seek during these rituals, I may be able to provide you with assistance?” 

Madarame quirks another brow, though the expression on his face is hard for Yusuke to decipher. Despite the failure of the ritual, his Sensei doesn’t look nearly as angry as he would normally. Yusuke can’t help but wonder if the hearty breakfast he made for him was the key in keeping his Sensei amicable.

Suddenly, Madarame scoffs, drawing Yusuke’s attention back to reality. “It doesn’t matter,” he says, turning his back on the younger male. “My lack of success is proof that what I seek is still yet beyond my grasps. We will try again next week. For now, my energies have been depleted. I will retire to my room, do not disturb me, Yusuke.” 

Yusuke watches him leave, a near silent goodbye on his lips. He turns his attention to the ashes left on the ground, still smoldering and hot.

Yusuke heaves a heavy sigh.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He’s back in the abyss but it's absent of runes. The darkness does not reach him; it doesn’t blind him as he suspects it should. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge. He feels the eyes before he can see them. Yusuke scans the darkness, weary of the endless abyss.
> 
> Someone is here! His senses scream at him, but the more he searches the less he finds. He grits his teeth, his shoulders tensing. He opens his mouth, but just like last time, the words don’t come.
> 
> Unlike the dreams before, when the runes would dance around him in bright, shimmering lights, there’s a pair of something that beams in the darkness. It’s bright gold, like twin stars in an empty black sky. Yusuke stares right back, straining his eyes to get a better look. He reaches for them, slow and shaky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I realized I gave Yusuke a regular bed when he would probably have a futon in the Atelier, but we're just... gonna take artistic liberties here... for plot purposes.... >.>
> 
> Thank you, everyone, who has read, commented, kudo'd and bookmarked this story so far! I'm really humbled by the reception (/ω＼), and I hope its as funny and exciting for everyone to read as it is for me to write!
> 
> I'll be using some original concept elements from my novels for this story and probably some lowkey magical elements from elsewhere LOL
> 
> A forever grateful special thank you to [lizibabbles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liziscribbles/profile) for beta reading and making my dribble into coherent English.

Once all evidence of their summoning is disposed of, Yusuke returns to his room. With his tome tucked under one arm and Madarame’s latest gift tucked in the other, he kicks the door closed behind him, wincing slightly as it slams shut. He hovers by the doorway, his ears straining for any sounds of Madarame’s footsteps or his muttering complaints. The silence stretches and his arms grow weary under the weight of his heavy objects, but no sounds permeate through the door. He’s in the clear.

He gently sets his tome down against the nightstand table, upon a small, growing mountain of old and new sketchbooks, and then makes his way toward the closet where he stores his new art supplies for future use. He steals a quick glance at the clock on top of his nightstand and smiles, suddenly pleased.

Today’s summoning ritual was on the shorter side, much to his relief. He still has a good two hours to kill before it's time to leave for school. And with his Sensei temporarily disposed of for the rest of the day, Yusuke finds himself relaxing in a way he hasn’t been able to since yesterday. He eases the tension out of his shoulders, popping his joints as he rotates his shoulders and loosens his wrist and fingers. He grabs a sketchbook from under his tome and settles comfortably into bed. It isn’t the most ideal place to sketch, but Yusuke isn’t planning on making the perfect picture today.

Instead, his mind is preoccupied with last night's dream and as he zones out, his hand working on autopilot, Yusuke tries to visualize the strange rune in his mind. He spends nearly an hour doing nothing but sketching. Pages upon pages, his wrist maneuvers around the white sheet, his lead pencil marring the surface with purpose. He scratches deeply into the book, darkening the page, over and over, until the lines are as dark as they can go.

He thinks of the runes that dance beyond his grasp. Then he thinks of the others: the ones from yesterday and the day before. Each of the runes from previous nights flows back into his mind as he draws; they’re similar in the way their lines are jagged and their strokes are bold. They look almost barbaric, or perhaps animalistic. Yusuke feels as though he’s seen them before, somewhere,but the harder he tries to remember, the hazier his mind becomes.

He blinks and darkness encompasses his surroundings. The sketchpad is gone, along with his room and the light of day. He’s back in the abyss but its absent of runes. The darkness does not reach him; it doesn’t blind him as he suspects it should. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge. He feels the eyes before he can see them. Yusuke scans the darkness, weary of the endless abyss.

_Someone is here!_ His senses scream at him, but the more he searches the less he finds. He grits his teeth, his shoulders tensing. He opens his mouth, but just like last time, the words don’t come.

Unlike the dreams before, when the runes would dance around him in bright, shimmering lights, there’s a pair of _something_ that beams in the darkness. It’s bright gold, like twin stars in an empty black sky. Yusuke stares right back, straining his eyes to get a better look. He reaches for them, slow and shaky.

_Bang!_

Yusuke jerks into reality, his head swinging every which way, but his room is empty and brightly lit. He finds his sketchbook on the floor, having fallen from his lap at some point during his unexpected nap. He still holds the pencil in his hand, the underside of his wrist stained black from how hard he’d been sketching earlier.

“How odd,” He mutters quietly, feeling his heart finally settle. “I… must have been more exhausted than I first thought.”

He reaches for the sketch book but freezes. His book is sprawled open onto an older drawing from a few weeks ago. The sketch staring back at him is an eye, one on each page. The darkness surrounding them seems to swirl beneath his gaze. He scrubs his eyes and stares again—the lines don’t move.

He scoffs. “Yes, I must be far more exhausted than I realized.”

Plucking the sketchbook from the ground, he sits back in bed and scans through the book. The eyes appear more than once, over and over, in every inch of the book. The runes he’s been dreaming about accompany the eyes on each page. They’re different every time, he realizes. Perhaps the same style, all hard and jagged; like bestial scratches on a stone wall. Seeing them together, outside of his dreams where their lights can’t blind him, makes Yusuke realize they’re each a different symbol. Perhaps they mean something?

Without a second thought, Yusuke snatches his tome from the night stand and opens it onto a blank page. He hastily writes down each rune, as neatly as he possibly can, until they form a string of lines on the top of the page. He adds a few notes about what he can recall from his dreams, and jots down the encounter with the two twin stars in the darkness. He suddenly jerks his attention toward the clock beside him and flies out of bed, his sketchbook flying from his lap while he grabs his tome in a white knuckled grip.

He’s going to be late if he doesn’t leave soon.

* * *

Yusuke is lost to his thoughts during the entire train ride to Kosei, one of the few magical academies in Tokyo. It isn't the _only_ magical school in Tokyo, but it's one of the best.  It specializes in various divisions of magic, one of which being ritual magic. Kosei Academy is also a school of duality: a rare, but vital addition for people like Yusuke. While the academy has an underground for its magical population to freely learn and study, the academy is also well known for nourishing people with artistic talent. It isn’t _just_ a school for witches to master their magical crafts, but also a school for the non-magical community to learn about the arts.

And if Yusuke loves anything else more than ritual magic, it's the beauty that lived within art.

But today, his classes have nothing to do with the wonderful world of paintings and sculptures. No, today, he is going to learn about _familiars_ and their importance to the magical community.

It is a delayed rite of passage, but one Yusuke looks forward to studying.

The school is large and unpleasantly crowded despite the space. Yusuke takes care to avoid most of the younger high school students and hurry across the campus into the wing that divides the school from its high school to the college. He takes the flight of stairs downward until he reaches a dead end. Any regular student wouldn’t have gone down this far. There wasn’t anything of importance in the maintenance floor, and the doors were always locked for non-custodians, but it’s not the locked double doors that catches Yusuke’s interest, it’s the wall across from it.

With his tome strapped firmly and safely to his side like a satchel, and his spare sketchpad tucked under his arm, Yusuke marches headlong into the solid brick wall. He meets no resistance as he slips through the watery, cold veil and hurries down the bustling hallway of college aged witches in training. A few of them spare him a glance as he walks, but Yusuke ignores them for the most part. He’s not one for small talk these days. He never has been, if he’s being honest with himself. Yusuke keeps mostly to himself, and while he’s not as blissfully unaware of the gossip that his fellow classmates utter about him, he finds that the older he gets, the less he cares.

Being a witch in high school had been tough. Tougher still when allegations about Madarame became the monthly news at some point in his freshman year. But college is a funny experience. The twenty-year-olds here, regardless of magic, don’t give a damn of who he is or where he comes from. For once, Yusuke finds the anonymity refreshing.

But today, Yusuke’s mind is preoccupied with the runes he’s written in his tome and the spell Madarame butchered in this morning’s summoning ritual.

“Perhaps if I combined them?” He mutters to no one, brows furrowing as he hurries down the hallway. He’s almost a blur to everyone passing him by, and yet miraculously, he has yet to bump into anyone. Caught up in his thoughts, he switches his sketchbook from armpit to armpit, reaching for his tome as his mind buzzes with possibilities. In his haste, he clips the shoulder of another, and the girl stumbles backward to the ground.

“Ah! My apologies!” Yusuke says, throwing out a hand toward her. “I was preoccupied with my—“ The words die on his lips as bright blue eyes gaze up at him. She takes his hand and hoists herself up, her blond hair cascading over her shoulders as she moves. “—Thoughts.” He finishes lamely, suddenly realizing exactly _who_ he bumped into. “My sincerest apologies, Takamaki-san.”

“It-its okay, Kitagawa-kun,” the girl says, dusting off her leggings and skirt from imaginary dust. She flashes Yusuke a dazzling, yet amicable smile. “No worries! We’re all late sometimes!”

“Y-yes,” he murmurs quietly, suddenly ashamed with himself. He watches her awkwardly as she picks up her tome and wipes it of dust and dirt. Thoughts of his dreams and Madarame’s spell fly out of his mind and are replaced with thoughts of Takamaki-san and her unique, yet dazzling looks. It’s not the first time Yusuke thinks of the girl in this way and he’s certain it won’t be the last. He’s asked her to model for him several times in the past few years, but each and every time, she’s turned him down, sometimes sweetly and sometimes not.

The urge to ask her again rises on his tongue, but he swallows the question before it can form. He excuses himself from her presence and hurries on. He can feel her eyes on him as he leaves, but just as quickly as thoughts of her modeling appear in his mind, they're gone and replaced with those mysterious runes once more.

No, he doesn’t have the time to ask Takamaki-san to model for him again, even if she is the perfect candidate for his latest project. The runes that keep plaguing him are far more important.

The rest of his classmates filter into the classroom before he gets the chance to enter. The class hasn’t started yet, but the amount of students who have already taken the good seats tells Yusuke that he’s cutting it too close with the tardies. There is no assigned seating, but Yusuke has a particular chair in a particular side of the room he enjoys sitting in. Today, it's occupied and he curses himself silently for being so distracted.

He takes a seat beside one of his classmates—a girl dressed in pink—and finally unhooks his tome from its satchel.

“Good morning Okumura-senpai,” He says politely, gaining the older girl’s attention.

The curly haired woman gives Yusuke a sweet, bright smile that reaches her eyes. “Good morning, Kitagawa-kun. It’s such a pleasant surprise to see you and even more of a surprise having you sit with me. Were you running late this morning?”

Yusuke feels his cheeks grow warm in embarrassment. He clears his throat. “My Sensei required my assistance for some things,” he explains, though the guilt that suddenly gnaws in his chest makes him feel like he should’ve said something else.

But Okumura-san doesn’t seem to mind. “Oh, I see. You’re so kind to your caretaker, Kitagawa-kun.” She rests her hands on top of her tome and its then Yusuke notices the way her slender fingers tremble slightly. Before he can get a chance to ask, Haru’s eyes widen in excitement. “Oh! Today we’ll be learning about familiars. Are you excited, Kitagawa-kun?” She beams.

Yusuke blinks at first then chuckles. “Yes. I look forward to whatever creature heeds your calling, Okumura-senpai.”

“Kitagawa-kun, please. Call me Haru-chan.” She giggles.

Before Yusuke can get a chance to rebuke, their professor storms into the classroom calling everyone’s attention with the same amount of excitement as the rest of the students in the class. Yusuke falls into focus and forces his mind into silence.

* * *

The train ride back to the Atelier is a blur. Yusuke’s head is so far up into the clouds that he doesn’t realize he’s made it home until he’s staring absently into the door for a solid ten minutes. He slips into the building once his mind is functioning again, and continues to work on autopilot.

He fixes dinner for Madarame and eats his before his Sensei makes his presence known in the kitchen. Just like earlier, he washes the dishes while Madarame eats and only half-heartedly listens to his Sensei as the older male talks about his plans for the next few days. As promised, Madarame leaves him a list of ingredients for their next ritual summoning, and then leaves his dirty plates on the table.

He’s nearly out of the room when Yusuke calls for him unexpectedly.

“What is it, boy?” Madarame frowns, his hands clasped before him and hidden beneath his long sleeves.

“My apologies, Sensei,” Yusuke hastily bows, clutching the list tightly in his fist. “But I… have a favor to ask.”

Madarame quirks an eyebrow and silently urges Yusuke to continue.

“I have an assignment from the Academy. I must… I’m required to gain a contract with a familiar by the next class session. Will you permit me to use the basement for this ritual?”

Asking Madarame for anything is always such a risk, but Yusuke thinks he’s in good standing considering Madarame’s mood the whole day. The ritual for summoning familiars isn’t an overly complicated or taxing procedure, but the basement has the most space and can better protect Yusuke in the case whatever familiar he summons decides to throw a fit. Forming a contract with a familiar is either the easiest thing he could ever do or the hardest. Familiars are lower tiered demons after all. Despite their appearance as defenseless mortal creatures, they have the potential to be _deadly_ creatures.

If Yusuke summons a familiar with an affinity for fire, he wanted to lower his chances of burning his bedroom.

Madarame eyes him for a moment, stroking the tuft of hair that covers his chin as though he were thinking long and hard. Yusuke’s confidence begins to dwindle the longer the silence stretches. Yet, he keeps his expression passive and hopes the tension can’t be read from his shoulders.

Madarame finally breaks the silence with a heavy sigh. “Very well, if you must be so insistent. But you will be responsible for whatever messes you conjure up. And whatever disgusting creature forms a contract with you will be _your_ responsibility.”

“Yes, Sensei,” Yusuke bows deeply. “I am most grateful for your kindness.”

“Yes, as you should be. When will you perform the ritual?’

“Tomorrow morning at the earliest,” He says and tries to keep himself from wincing. The reaction he gets from Madarame is… not what he was expecting. Instead of growing angry, Madarame merely hums in acknowledgement then turns on his heels. He excuses himself without any fanfare, which only serves to confuse Yusuke more, but he’ll take his blessings as they come.

Once the kitchen is clean and Yusuke has washed himself for the night, he crawls into bed, the weight of the day finally falling heavy on his shoulders. He sinks into his bed and before he realizes it, he’s fallen asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY THERE'S NO REN YET BUT HE'S FIRST THING IN CHAPTER THREE I SWEAR!!!
> 
>  
> 
> Follow me on:  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nadacreates?lang=en)  
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	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yusuke prepares to summon a Familiar and things... don't go according to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY THE VERY IMPORTANT CHAPTER!!!!!!
> 
> As always, I am forever thankful to [lizibabbles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liziscribbles/profile) for cleaning up after my mistakes!
> 
> Don't get used to these back-to-back updates. They'll slow down when I get closer to big bang deadlines, haha! Check the tags for new additions. Every chapter may include a new warning to prepare for.

He dreams of yellow eyes in the dark with runes shimmering all around him. The dream is mostly a haze, and by the time Yusuke jerks into consciousness, he’s already forgotten the markings in the dark. Covered in sweat for the umpteenth time that week, Yusuke peels himself from his mattress and hurries to the bathroom for a wash. Without having to look at his clock, he knows he’s awake just before dawn, despite not needing to be. However, an early morning gives Yusuke an opportunity to get his chores finished before Madarame awakens. So, he hastily washes the sweat from his body, dresses for the day and leaves the Atelier with the grocery list of ingredients Madarame left out for him.

By the time he returns to the Atelier, the sun is still making its slow ascent into the morning sky. He’s only got a few minutes to make breakfast for himself before Madarame wakes up. He still needs to prepare the basement for the familiar ritual. 

Yusuke hurries around the building, sorting the ingredients and placing them in their proper areas before he stuffs his face with something quick and light. He prepares Madarame’s breakfast and leaves it simmering in the pot on a low setting. He eyes it for a moment, a sliver of anxiety bubbling in the back of his mind.

“No, the ritual shouldn’t take me too long,” he murmurs, turning his back on the pot. “It should simmer perfectly fine for fifteen minutes.” 

With his tome in hand, Yusuke rushes down the steps into the basement. The beads jingle softly behind him as he passes and begins hasty, but no less careful, preparations for the ritual. 

Familiar summoning is non-advanced magic. It’s lower tier and doesn’t require a lot of mana to perform. However, it’s not a ritual that gets taught until the witch in training has shown themselves capable of forming contracts. It's also considered a rite of passage, or at least it is traditionally. Ancestral Witches are never seen without their familiars, but as the generations have continued and civilization has grown more technologically advanced, it's become less and less of a priority for a Witch in training to form a contract with a familiar. Nowadays, the skill is optional.

Madarame doesn’t have a familiar. Yusuke asked him once when he was quite a young boy, why Madarame had no familiar around the Atelier when some of the other pupils did. His Sensei explained that familiars were only an accessory, not a necessity and that Madarame had no interest in forming bonds or contracts with creatures beyond the mortal realm. But as Yusuke grew older, he suspected Madarame’s reason was less because he saw them as useless and more because the older man was unable to properly summon one.

Of course, his Sensei wasn’t entirely incorrect. Some Witches use their familiars as accessories. They make for great pets, after all. But their purpose is far more important than that, and it is an experience Yusuke looks forward to. 

Yusuke flips through his tome for the standard spell used for Familiar summoning when he pauses on the page with Madarame’s incomplete spellwork from yesterday. He unpins it from the page and reads it over carefully, unable to shake off the feeling that some part of the incantation is missing. He turns to the page where he’s written the runes from his dreams and compares the letters. They don’t match, but Yusuke isn’t surprised. He’s  _ disappointed _ , but not surprised. He slips the loose strip of paper in between the pages and turns back to the earlier portion of his tome for the spell he needs.

With his book open to the correct page, he takes the ingredients he’s carefully measured and falls to his knees. He sets down a heavy stone mortar in front of him and reaches for a sharp dagger tucked carefully in velvet cloth. He wipes the blade slowly against a hand towel then positions the point against his left palm. His grip on the ritual dagger is surprisingly steady despite the rapid beating of his heart. He takes a deep breath then another and another before plunging the tip into his palm.

He takes a sharp inhale of breath as pain sears through his nerves. He drags the blade across his flesh, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip as dark crimson blood slowly pools into the mortar. He doesn’t need a lot—just enough to form a circle without any gaps in his brush strokes—and tries his best to keep the tears at bay when his left hand begins to tremble. He sets the blade onto the clean washcloth and hurriedly dresses his wound. It’s going to be a pain working with his hand for the next several weeks, but Yusuke knows it’s worth it. Blood magic is powerful, after all.

He pours paint into the blood and uses a brush to blend the mixture together. With the brush properly coated, he makes a large circle on the ground and then another, smaller one on the inside. He does this several times until the bowl is scraped clean of any excess blood and paint. The runes he’s written within the gaps of the circles shimmer up at him, light trails of mana already surging through their powerful words. 

The pain in his palm is immense. It makes it difficult to move the bowl around and switch between ingredients, but he does his best. 

In one circle, he places a small bowl of curry powder in the center. In another circle, directly across the curry powder, he places a bowl of Madarame’s preferred brand of ground coffee beans and a mixture of herbs. In the last two circles, he places the necessary salt bowl to the left and the water bowl to the right, to balance and protect him, in case he summons an unruly familiar.

Familiars usually take on an affinity to most directly correlate with their Summoner’s personality. Some familiars are elemental based, to things like fire and water, while others are a bit harder to grasp. Familiars are a Witch’s eternal companion, though, so Yusuke hopes that whatever creature answers his call, is the one most suited for him.

Rising to his feet again, Yusuke double checks his tome and compares the symbol etched into the page matches what he’s drawn on the ground. He frowns in confusion.

The runes in the four outer circles don’t match the runes in the diagram. They look jagged and messy like Yusuke rushed through them despite his refined brush strokes. It’s a stark contrast to the runes written within the gaps of the main circle. They’re smooth and small, each stroke of blood and paint made with purpose and care. 

“Should be fine,” He says quietly. His palm twinges in pain the longer he holds his tome so he hurriedly rereads the all-too-familiar summoning spell for Familiars and tries to commit the incantation to memory. He has to work quickly if he wants to be finished before Madarame wakes up.

The five candles placed strategically around the circle suddenly light up with fire. Yusuke takes a deep breath—once. Twice. The world around him falls silent as he summons on the magic flowing in his veins. The candle lights flicker as wind flows into the basement. With a slow and steady breath, Yusuke begins to murmur the spell, his voice a deep baritone.

He can feel the sparks of his magic trickling across his limbs as he speaks. His eyes flutter shut, his mind falling silent. His incantation reverberates across the room like a thick heavy veil. He doesn’t see the way his blood glows, first red and then blue until it’s a bright white light that bleeds into the room. 

The light intensifies. The wind picks up. Everything around him begins to tremble, but Yusuke is blind to it all. All he feels is the light on his skin and the heat that’s growing in his chest, like a molten star. His skin feels tight and beads of sweat begin to dot his brow, but he keeps chanting until the words crescendo in volume; until it feels like he’s not the only person in the room. His ears are ringing; the pain in his palm is searing.

There are golden eyes in the dark. They look familiar, like the ones he’s drawn in his sketchbook. They blink up at him, wide and curious. Something reaches across the darkness and Yusuke reaches back.

He feels the blast before he hears it. Yusuke’s body flies backward into the desk behind him. It slams into his spine painfully and he crumbles to the ground, twitching slightly as a few bottled ingredients topple over him. Silence falls over the basement as he tries to regain his sense, and despite how badly his palm hurt before, it doesn’t compare to the throbbing pain in his spine. Yet, he forces himself back to his feet, the world around him spinning faster. 

Smoke dances into his nostrils and he grimaces at the stench. He blinks rapidly, trying his best to fight against the burn of his eyes from the smoke and to regain clarity. What he sees is a terrible mess and his heart sinks at the prospect of what Madarame is going to do when he realizes Yusuke nearly destroyed his basement.

It takes Yusuke a longer moment to realize that not only is the basement a mess, but that the lights have gone out with it. The candles he used for the ritual are gone, disintegrated into small mounds of wax. The smoke that fills the room is heavy and thick, and the more he tries to wave it away, the more annoying it becomes.

Suddenly, he hears something shift in the dark. Yusuke ceases his movements, gray eyes peering into the smoky haze. As the smoke begins to die, Yusuke realizes there’s a figure within the circle. It’s crouching low at first then stands slowly, as though unsure of itself. It’s not particularly tall—Yusuke has a height advantage—but it's much taller than a standard Familiar should be. In fact, Yusuke doesn’t think what he’s summoned is anything  _ like  _ a Familiar. Familiars are beasts not… human-shaped  _ things.  _

The lights suddenly blink back into existence, illuminating the basement once more, and as the smoke finally gives way, Yusuke’s breath escape his lungs.

There’s a demon standing in the circle, their attention drawn to their hands. A light shimmers from its wrists, forearms, and neck. It only takes Yusuke a moment to realize the light is rune magic, encircling around the creature’s upper limbs in bright blue magic until it dims into blue marks tattooed on his pale skin. Yusuke’s eyes continue to travel, and he realizes, with a horrible realization, that the  _ demon  _ is very, very naked. The creature is lean, yet lithe, with wings tucked tightly into his back. On the top of his head, branching and curling around the creature’s pointed ears are two sets of black horns. There’s a sliver of something golden that twirls around the pointed length of the creature’s straighter horns. It glimmers under the light and Yusuke wonders, for one odd moment, if its an accessory.

His train of thought crashes when his eyes catch sight of something twitching behind the creature’s leg. It’s a tail—Yusuke realizes—long and thin at the tip with a sharp, barbed end. It wraps around the creature’s thigh, squeezing tightly. Yusuke tears himself away from that dangerous appendage and swallows thickly, his throat uncomfortably dry.

He levels the creature with a gaze, even though the creature hasn’t met his eyes. 

“State your denomination, demon,” Yusuke demands, though his heart is hammering wildly in his chest. “You are no familiar.” 

Finally, the creature lifts his head and for the second time, Yusuke’s breath leaves him. The demon’s eyes are gold and sharp. They're filled with an almost childlike curiosity and for some odd reason, Yusuke feels like he’s seen them before. But where? 

Suddenly, the gold in the creature’s eyes melts into a soft, dark gray. But it’s not the only thing that changes. The demon’s wings and horns slowly morph into dust. With invisible wind, the appendages blow into obscurity until the demon looks human. Well, almost human. His pointed ears and tail don’t seem to disappear.

Yusuke shakes his head in an attempt to refocus his brain. The pain that riddles his body is lost against his utter confusion and he clears his throat again, trying his best to regain some sort of control over the situation.

“Speak,” he commands. It comes out more sternly than he would like. It reminds him too much of his Sensei, but it makes the Demon in front of him tilt his head to the side. “What is your denomination?”

The demon merely blinks at him.

Yusuke frowns. “Do you not have a name?” He presses, his fear rising.

All demons had to have a name; it was a necessity.  _ Mandatory.  _ A demon without a name is dangerous. Names give Witches power over them, and as part of their treaty, every demon has to be designated in some way. But this one? This one made Yusuke afraid.

Yusuke knows he’s on the verge of panic. Summoning a demon isn’t forbidden, it happens enough on a regular basis—Familiars were lower tiered demons after all—but a demon  _ without  _ a name has answered his call.  _ That  _ is unusual, and the fact that he used his own blood on a low-level summoning ritual makes the situation even more terrifying. What tier  _ is _ this creature? What if he misunderstood the contract he responded to? What if he wants to make  _ a deal?  _

Yusuke’s never heard of a familiar summoning spell calling forth a demon before, and while he’s absolutely terrified of the grievous error he’s made, a part of him can’t help but be curious.

Before Yusuke gets the chance to open his mouth, the creature speaks:  _ “Ren.” _

Yusuke blinks. “Pardon?”

“Ren.” His voice is low, but not any deeper than Yusuke’s had been during the ritual. There’s a slightly odd accent in the way he says his R’s that makes Yusuke realize why the creature hadn’t immediately spoken.

Demons have their own language, after all. They are a society of their own even if they've been on the wrong side of history most of the time.

“Ren?” Yusuke frowns.

The demon nods, slowly at first then with more confidence. “I think…. The proper translation of my name in your tongue is… Ren.”

“Ren,” Yusuke reiterates. He’s not sure why the name surprises him so much. “What classification of demon are you?”

Ren gives him a slow blink. “A demon?”

“Yes, I am aware. What classification?”

Ren tilts his head again. Yusuke feels like his brows are frozen in place. 

“Classification,” he reiterates. “What tier? Are you lower leveled or higher?”

Ren’s tail twitches and it's then Yusuke notices it’s been unraveled from the demon’s very naked thigh. Ren’s curious expression doesn’t change and Yusuke has a hard time keeping himself from getting lost in those damnable eyes.

“Perhaps I am asking the wrong questions. Demon, why were you summoned?”

Ren’s curiosity shifts into bewilderment. “Because you called for me?” He says slowly and carefully, as though it was  _ Yusuke  _ who had difficulty speaking the language.

“I did not call you. I wished to forge a contract with a  _ familiar _ .”

The confusion on Ren’s face doesn’t change. He stares at his wrists and raises them toward Yusuke for him to inspect. “Is that what this is?” 

The runes tattooed into Ren’s flesh are the same runes that have been plaguing Yusuke’s dreams for months. They shimmer blue for a moment, reacting under Yusuke’s presence. Something in Yusuke’s chest tightens. It's not unpleasant and it doesn’t hurt, but it feels strange and Yusuke wonders if it has something to do with the runes marking Ren’s skin.

Yusuke shakes his head, his body suddenly trembling. He’s had enough of this. He’s running out of time. Madarame would wake up soon if he isn’t up already and he’s left the stove on with food simmering. 

“I’ve had enough of this. Begone, demon,” he demands, turning his back on the demon and grabbing his tome where it lies cluttered under spilled bottles. “I asked for a familiar, not a demon. You can return to the Metaverse, I refuse to form a contract with you.”

He hears the demon’s movements behind him until Ren appears to his left. He jerks away, putting a comfortable distance between them. Ren looks somewhat sheepish and Yusuke doesn’t understand why.

“Well, um, that’s probably going to be a lot harder than you think it is. Also, do you have some spare clothes I can borrow?”

“P-pardon?”

Ren’s cheeks tinge pink and Yusuke has a hard time keeping himself from rubbing his eyes. Why would a demon have any sense of modesty in the presence of a Witch?

“Well, for starters, I’m very,  _ very  _ naked right now. My clothes didn’t make the journey across, you know?” He gives Yusuke an apologetic smile. Yusuke has a wild sense that Ren is  _ trying  _ to make him feel less awkward. And even wilder is that it’s actually working.

“Alright,” he sighs, feeling the tension leave his body. “I can conjure up clothes for you.”

The smile Ren gives him is blinding. He turns away with the excuse of cleaning up his mess and ignores the way his heart hammers in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Ren has joined the party! Now the real fun can begin!!
> 
> [Here's a badly drawn depiction of Ren's horns](https://twitter.com/nadacreates/status/1107487778869264384), but without the golden decorative thin chains because HAHHAH ART ME? Noooooo!
> 
>  
> 
> Come talk to me about Perona 5:
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nadacreates?lang=en)   
>  [tumblr](http://nadacreates.tumblr.com/)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, just, you know, realizing your sensei is an asshole.” Ren shrugs nonchalantly. “Is he always like that?”
> 
> “His mood has a tendency to fluctuate,” Yusuke replies.
> 
> “So, he’s always an asshole.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A forever special thank you to [lizibabbles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liziscribbles/profile) for beta reading this chapter ♥ If you're a fan of space shenanigans, P5 and Shukita goodies, Lizi's been cooking up something SUPER FASCINATING over here in [Outlaws](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1308224). Please consider checking the series out!
> 
> Without further ado, onto the story!

The clothes Yusuke conjures up for Ren fits the demon nicely, or so, Yusuke believes. He watches the demon examine himself for a moment, twisting his hips and bending his legs. His tail swishes behind him erratically and Yusuke isn’t sure if the demon is excited or irritated. There’s something in his chest that bubbles and a wave of elation washes over him, but he ignores the strange emotion in favor of examining his new guest.

Ren’s black T-shirt isn’t long enough to hide the markings on his wrists or the ones on his neck. Yusuke furrows his brows, wondering if he should’ve conjured up a sweater instead. Does the demon even _want_ those markings on his skin? Yusuke isn’t even sure what they mean. The runes aren’t written in a language Yusuke understands, they're not like the ones he’s been studying for years now. Does Ren know what they mean?

Ren turns to Yusuke with a bright smile.

“Thanks, these are really comfortable,” he says. Yusuke watches the tail settle down behind Ren. How curious.

“Why does your tail remain?” Yusuke asks, unable to help himself. “What happened to your wings? Your horns?”

“Oh, it’s just a disguise,” Ren explains with a shrug. “Mortals get weird about stuff like that, right? So I made them disappear.”

Yusuke eyes the tail again. “And your tail?”

To his surprise, the demon blushes.

“I’m… I’m working on it.”

Yusuke quirks a fine eyebrow. “You’re… working on it? As in, you’re unable to hide it?”

Ren’s blush intensifies as his tail wraps around his pant leg once more. “It’s, uh, more complicated than you think.” He murmurs, rubbing a curled bang.

Yusuke finds that hard to believe.

“I would’ve assumed one’s wings were more complicated, given their size.”

He notices, with slight amusement, that Ren’s lips form into a slight pout.

“I’m working on it, alright?” He huffs. “I’m not—there’s—I’ll figure it out. I always do.”

“Very well then,” Yusuke chuckles, deciding to spare the Demon anymore embarrassment. “We should—”

He doesn’t get the chance to finish. Suddenly, Madarame’s voice bellows from the kitchen and it's then Yusuke realizes, with immense embarrassment and horror, that he forgot to turn off the stove. He hurries into the room, distantly aware of Ren trailing behind him, and immediately bows apologetically toward Madarame.

“My apologies, Sensei!” he says, his eyes screwed shut. “It was foolish of me to leave breakfast unintended! I have no excuse for my careless behavior.”

It’s a lie, and he wishes he could explain what happened, but once his Sensei was in an ill-gotten mood, there was no point. Madarame would never listen.

He doesn’t get a chance to hear the lecture he knows is coming because, at that moment, Ren finally makes his appearance in the kitchen. Yusuke straightens immediately, having forgotten the Demon’s presence. The expression on Madarame’s face sets him into a near panic.

“Madarame-sensei, please allow me to explain—“

“Who are you?” Madarame’s eyes glare daggers into Ren, who tilts his head curiously, dark gray eyes scanning Madarame’s form.

Yusuke steps in front of Ren, his hands held out slightly as his mind works frantically. “Sensei, I… may have miscalculated during a ritual.”

The raised eyebrow Madarame gives him isn’t the reaction Yusuke expects, but he’s grateful.

“So you say,” His sensei murmurs. He tries to get a better look of the Demon standing behind Yusuke, but Yusuke’s tall frame prevents him. “What does that have to do with this boy?’

“He is a demon, sensei.”

That gets Madarame’s attention and Yusuke recounts the botched Familiar ritual summoning upon his sensei’s urging. It’s not until he’s finished recounting the tale does Yusuke notice the almost uncomfortable tightness in his chest. It’s odd. The emotion he feels doesn’t fit the relief Yusuke is _actually_ feeling and the more he focuses on it, the more detached the discomfort becomes. Without meaning to, Yusuke’s eyes trail back to Ren, who continues to nervously rub a curled bang. He stops once all eyes are on him. Suddenly, Ren grins.

“Hi!”

Madarame ignores him in favor of staring at the demon’s neck. “Do you plan to unbind it?” He asks.

Yusuke frowns in confusion. “Unbind?”

“The demon, Yusuke. The runes on its neck indicate you’ve entered a contract with it.”

“Oh, I’m an ‘it’ now?” Ren muses though Yusuke doesn’t comment. Instead, he reexamines the markings on Ren’s flesh and mulls over Madarame’s inquiry.

“I… suppose I should. I asked for a Familiar, not a…” His voice trails off, his thoughts stalling. The _thing_ in his chest tightens again, almost enough to cause pain, but it loosens before Yusuke can react. He notices from the corner of his eye that Ren’s confident grin has faltered. The demon’s tail is wrapped around his leg again, though it squeezes tightly.

Madarame’s voice snaps him out of his thoughts. “Very good. Alert me when you do. In the meanwhile, you are responsible for its behavior, do you understand, Yusuke? If it must be fed, find another method of doing so. I will _not_ allow this creature to gorge itself on _my_ supplies.”

“Yes, Sensei.”

Yusuke feels an inkling of irritation seep into his veins. It feels just as detached as all the other strange emotions, and Yusuke realizes it may not be coming from him but from _Ren_. Demon contracts or demon bindings are not rare, but they come with a price. For a binding to occur in the middle of a Familiar ritual summoning is unheard of, though.

“Clean up this mess,” Madarame demands, brushing past the duo. “Seeing as you’ve burnt breakfast, I will have to feed myself.”

He settles Ren with an unreadable expression before he disappears up the flight of stairs. Yusuke heaves a weary sigh, a wave of exhaustion suddenly crashing into him. It’s barely into the afternoon and he already feels like he could sleep for a week. Yusuke doesn't think he used up _that_ much mana during the ritual, but considering he did manage to summon a demon, perhaps he lost more energy that he expected.

He pushes through his exhaustion and prepares to clean up the mess he’s made. He can feel Ren’s eyes on him as he lingers behind. He can practically feel Ren’s mounting curiosity.

He sighs again.

“Yes, Demon?” He asks but frowns. The words don’t sound right on his tongue. He shakes his head. “Sorry. It’s rude of me not to use your name. Did you have something on your mind, Ren?”

To his surprise, Ren takes a wet plate from the rack and wipes it with a washcloth.

“Oh, just, you know, realizing your sensei is an asshole.” He shrugs nonchalantly. “Is he always like that?”

“His mood has a tendency to fluctuate,” Yusuke replies.

“So, he’s always an asshole.”

Yusuke chuckles quietly then winces when soap seeps into the wound on his palm. Right, he still has to deal with that.

“Your blood is really delicious.”

Yusuke whips his head toward the demon, his brows furrowed. “Pardon?”

Ren’s eyes widen in surprise but it’s gone in an instant as he grabs another clean plate and wipes it dry. The smile he gives Yusuke is lackadaisical.

“Sorry, that would sound weird to anyone. I just meant, when you summoned me, your blood fell into my mouth. It’s delicious.” He chuckles. “It’s probably why I’m here in the first place. You called and I answered. Sorry.”

Yusuke doesn’t understand why Ren is apologizing or what he’s apologizing for. His explanation piques Yusuke’s curiosity. Learning more about the Metaverse—the world in which these demons resided—is always a plus. But this? Yusuke was calling for a Familiar, not a demon. Where did things go wrong?

“I’ll have to go to the Academy today,” He says suddenly. He doesn’t look forward to it, mostly because his body is begging for him to sleep, but the day is still young and Yusuke doesn't want to waste it. “There may be something in the library that can help me understand what has happened and perhaps, even find a way for us to unbind.”

He feels the tightness in his chest again.

Ren shuffles beside him, piling up the clean and dry plates and snooping around cabinets to store them. He finds the right cabinet on his first try then proceeds to store them away. Yusuke watches him, his mind whirring. What if--?

“I think that’s pointless,” Ren says. He grabs a freshly rinsed pot, dries it and stores it in the bottom cabinet where the rest of the pots are.

“Yes, you would think that,” Yusuke mutters. Ren hears it anyway.

“I just mean undoing a contract between a demon and a witch is impossible. It’s a contract based on blood.”

“I did not wish to—“

“—summon me, yeah I know,” Ren cuts in, his brows furrowed. “You keep saying that, but here I am whether you like it or not. You _called_ me and I answered.”

Yusuke’s irritation grows. He doesn’t understand what Ren means. He didn’t _call_ for anyone, only a familiar. So why did a demon of all things come through the gateway? Yusuke doesn’t have a lot of things to be proud of, but his ability to make successful summons is an achievement he covets. Mistakes of this degree bother him in a way he doesn’t like to admit.

He shuts off the faucet water and dries his hand. The bandage he used to keep his wound clean is disgustingly wet and soiled with old blood and dirt from the earlier explosion. He unwraps it carefully and can already feel Ren’s haze on his movements.

“The runes on your wrist,” He begins, trying to distract the demon from watching his blood too closely. “What do they mean?”

Ren frowns. “What do you mean?”

Yusuke disposes of the dirty, soggy bandages and uses the napkins nearby to stifle the bleeding. The flow isn’t as heavy as it was earlier and for that Yusuke is grateful. He’ll have to sneak into Madarame’s medical cabinet for healing paste before he can go to the Academy.

Before Yusuke can get the chance to respond, Ren is suddenly in front of him. He reaches for Yusuke’s wounded hand but freezes when Yusuke holds it close to his chest.

“What are you doing, demon?” He demands, his heart hammering.

Ren’s eyes widen for a moment then morph into an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I shouldn’t—You cut yourself during the ritual, right? I have—is it okay to touch you? I can heal you.”

Yusuke’s mouth hangs open, his words dying in his throat. He snaps it shut then opens it again, but he gives up. He nods curtly and holds out his left hand for Ren to take.

Ren’s touch is surprisingly gentle and smooth. The blue markings around his wrist shimmer like glitter when their flesh touches. Yusuke feels something flutter in his chest, but he ignores it in favor of marveling over Ren’s impossibly soft touch. The demon opens Yusuke’s hand further; his skin stretches and tugs uncomfortably along the deep gash across his palm. He’s unsure of what plans to do, and he fails to keep the various images in his mind from playing out. When Ren places his palm over Yusuke’s and wraps slender fingers around his hand, Yusuke’s curiosity grows into confusion.

“What are you—?” His voice dies for the umpteenth time that day. A green light illuminates from underneath Ren’s palm. The warmth that radiates between their hands is pleasant; it fills Yusuke with a sense of comfort he hasn’t felt since he was a child. It barely lasts for a minute. Before Yusuke releases it, the light fades away and Ren releases his hand. He stares into his palm—it’s almost as if the wound ever existed.

Ren gives him a bright smile. “There. Feel better now?”

Yusuke traces the healed flesh with an index finger. “You can heal?”

“Sure! I can do a lot of things.”

“Except hide your tail,” Yusuke teases.

Ren’s tail twitches as the demon’s cheeks tinge pink again. “Wow, okay, I get to show off for one second and _that’s_ how you say thank you?” He grumbles though Yusuke can sense the playfulness behind Ren’s words.

He chuckles. “Thank you, Ren. You didn’t need to waste your magic.”

“Healing people isn’t a waste.”

“No, I suppose it’s not,” Yusuke smiles.

They fall into an amicable silence for the moment. Yusuke watches the way Ren’s tail twitches and flickers, his mind wandering back to the summoning, when Ren’s true demonic presence was out in the open. He didn’t recognize Ren’s form and couldn’t quite figure out what tiered demon the creature could possibly be, but he doesn’t get the chance to mull over his thoughts. Ren’s voice drags him back into reality and Yusuke finds himself staring into Ren’s inquisitive dark gray eyes.

“Pardon?”

Ren rolls his eyes playfully. “I said, you really don’t know what the runes mean, do you?”

“No, I don’t. They’re unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Except—“ _in my dreams,_ he realizes.

Ren hums thoughtfully. He holds out his left wrist and underlines the runes with an index finger.

“They’re descriptions, um, kind of like names,” he describes, though he frowns slightly. “It means something different depending on how you arrange the runes, but the way they’re ordered here—“ He gestures toward both of his wrists “—means you called for my family. Or, well, more specifically me. You called for me—”

“—so you answered.” Yusuke finishes, realizing dawning on him. Without thinking, he grabs Ren’s wrists and pulls them closer for a better examination. The runes glimmer as their skins touch again, but the light quickly fades away. Yusuke sucks in a breath. “How fascinating. Does it hurt?”

“Not… right now.” Yusuke catches the hesitation and a curious part of him wonders, but the way Ren watches him makes him feel like they’ve gotten too close. He releases the demon’s hands and coughs, clearing his throat.

He’s still worn from the ritual and a part of him begs for his mattress, but daylight is burning and the Academy can only wait for so long. He needs to find answers about this demon business before anything else happens.

“I have to go,” he announces, moving past Ren.

“Go? Where?” Ren asks, following him into the bedroom.

“The Academy. They have an extensive library that dates back generations. If I am to undo the bond between us, surely I will find it in there.”

“So you’re still gonna try even though it’s impossible?”

Yusuke grabs his tome and straps it onto its satchel. He turns to Ren then, determination burning in his eyes. “Yes. You will stay here until I return. I will be back soon.”

The expression on the demon’s face is hard to read, but that increasingly familiar tightness in Yusuke’s chest that makes itself known once more. It’s another thing Yusuke plans on looking up when he’s at the academy. The number of times his chest squeezed today was one too many.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was a dialogue-heavy chapter and I completely deviated from my outline LOL! But don't worry, the next chapter falls back on track. I don't mean to make the storytelling so slow OTL but there's so much ground I have to put down before the fun stuff can begin. -Sigh- But at least Ren is in the picture now, which means~~~~ Things are going to get more interesting \o/
> 
> My art skills aren't very good, but I may add some design reference sheets for Ren's demon form and the forms of the other demons we will be seeing :3 So stay tuned!
> 
> Talk Shukita to me:  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nadacreates?lang=en)  
> [tumblr](http://nadacreates.tumblr.com/)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yusuke and Ren struggle with the consequences of a binding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to [lizibabbles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liziscribbles/profile) who saw this mess of a chapter and turned it into English for me LOL!
> 
> Today was not a good writing day for chapter 5, but I'm glad progress is going!

Yusuke feels a sense of longing rush into his chest the moment he leaves the Atelier, but before he can get the chance to acknowledge its presence, the emotion is gone. For a second, his mind replays the image of Ren’s face as the door slams shut in it, but Yusuke shakes his head and forces the image away. The Demon is an enigma Yusuke plans to explore further, but right now, he has far more pressing matters in mind, like getting to the Academy before the library closes.

The train ride to the academy is mostly uneventful. Yusuke struggles to keep himself from falling asleep despite how packed the train is.  His body is so drained from the day’s events, and he feels his consciousness slipping away once or twice. He nearly misses his stop when the train finally pulls into the station and has to physically force his legs to move forward in order to keep himself from getting swept away into the crowd.

When the familiar visage of Kosei Academy appears before him, Yusuke can’t help but breathe a happy sigh. The quicker he can get things done, the faster he can get to sleep. The day is still relatively young, the sun is high in the sky now, but Yusuke’s mounting exhaustion keeps him from lamenting about lost daylight. He's done enough for today, taking a quick nap when he gets back to the Atelier will be enough of a reward. He is certain Madarame won't need him until dinner time today anyway, and with the Demon’s presence in his life now, Yusuke is sure he'll be able to get away with a nap without too much fanfare.

Yusuke takes the familiar path into the school and heads straight for the library. The foot traffic for today is unsurprisingly light and the deeper Yusuke goes, the fewer students he sees. By the time he reaches the library, there are only a few people inside, hustling and bustling about with piles of books tucked under their arms. It’s the usual faces, he realizes, the bookworms who enjoy reading historical facts about magical history, and the students who think they can cram an entire semester’s worth of knowledge into their brains before it’s time for their exams. He walks past the friendly, familiar face of the librarian and gives her a pleasant greeting when she smiles at him.

He makes his way toward the aisle he’s most familiar with—the summoning archives—when a flash of pink catches his attention. Tucked away into a private alcove, buried deep into the library, is Haru, but she’s not alone. Sitting on the table, playing with Haru’s fingers, is a tuxedo cat. Yusuke’s eyebrows rise into his hairline.

Cats are not unusual sights to see in Kosei, neither are owls or wolves. Familiars are predominantly beasts, after all. Yusuke fights with an overwhelming sense of shock, though he supposes he shouldn’t.

Haru is a skilled Witch after all and even though he doesn't know much about her outside of her family name and the fortune she has to her name, Yusuke is extremely impressed. He’s seen her spell-work before. She is an expert when it comes to plant life, and because of her prowess in herbology, it makes her scarily proficient in potion making. Once, when he’d been sick with the flu and Madarame had banned him from returning to the Atelier until he was well enough, she brewed him up a potion that made him feel better quicker than any medicine he’s ever taken.

Forgetting the books, he makes a beeline for Haru and her new feline familiar.

“Oh, hello, Kitagawa-kun,” Haru beams brightly the moment she catches sight of him. The catlike Familiar settles Yusuke a curious, silent stare. “What a pleasant surprise!”

“Okumura-senpai,” Yusuke greets with a kind smile. “I see you were successful in your endeavors. You have summoned a lovely Familiar.”

“Oh!” Haru blushes, the smile on her face suddenly bright. “Thank you! His name is Mona-chan. He is very sweet!”

The way the Familiar—Mona-chan—eyes Yusuke doesn’t make him feel like the feline is all that friendly. There’s an intelligence behind those bright azure colored eyes that is almost unsettling, and the longer the feline stares at him, the more uncomfortable Yusuke becomes.

Yusuke tears his eyes away from the familiar and coughs. “My apologies for the disturbance, Okumura-senpai, but I am in need of your knowledge.”

“Please, call me Haru,” She urges. “We’ve known each other for several years after all! We’re even in the same classes.” She giggles.

“Ah, m-my apologies, Haru-senpai—“

Her sweet smile turns steely. “Just _Haru_ , Kitagawa-kun,” she insists. There’s a dangerous glint in her eyes that makes Yusuke realize that, perhaps, Mona-chan was a better fit to be Haru’s Familiar than he first realized.

Yusuke clears his throat in an attempt to dispel his embarrassment. For a moment, he thinks he might’ve seen a smug smile cross Mona-chan’s face.

“Y-yes, Haru. Please, you may call me Yusuke as well.”

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Yusuke-kun?” She continues, giving her familiar chin scratches. Mona’s loud purrs fill the quiet library.

“It’s in regards to your fam—“ A wave of dizziness overwhelms him. He sways on his feet, but Yusuke steadies himself. Haru’s brow furrow slightly, concern flooding in her eyes, but she doesn’t say a word about his abrupt silence and for that he’s thankful. He’s not sure why he suddenly feels so clammy. He shakes his head.

“M-my apologies. I have made a grievous error during my Familiar ritual this morning,” he continues. His body starts to tremble. “You see, I… may have summoned a demon.”

Haru’s eyebrows disappear into her hairline. “A middle tier demon?” She asks, eyes wide.

Yusuke nods and it’s the worst mistake he’s done today. The room suddenly starts to spin. He stumbles, losing his balance momentarily. Haru flies out of her chair just as he slams his palms against the table, steadying himself. The table rattles under his weight but it holds firm, keeping him upright even when his legs feel like they’re about to give out.

Mona hisses, startled His tail poofs three sizes bigger than before.

“I’m-I’m sorry. I-I lost my balance momentarily.”

“Yusuke-kun, you’ve grown rather pale,” Haru says. She settles a hand against his shoulder and it's only then that Yusuke realizes how much he’s shaking.

“I may be coming down with a cold…” His vision starts to tunnel and his heart begins to race.

He can hear Haru speaking, but her words don’t reach him. She tugs on his arm, and Yusuke has the faint idea that she’s trying to get him to sit down. He barely has enough sense to do what she says before darkness claims him.

* * *

Ren waits until the door closes before he rushes into Yusuke’s room and presses his forehead against the window. He watches Yusuke leave, the Witch never once looking back as he disappears around the corner. Ren’s chest squeezes in longing, but he quickly shoves the emotion away before it can translate into his connection with Yusuke. He knows how ridiculous the situation he’s in is and understands the ramifications. If anyone from the Metaverse found out, it would just be another thing stacked up against Ren.

To be bound to a Witch isn’t necessarily shameful—especially when deals are involved—but this isn’t like any of the Demon dealings Ren had heard of in his youth. This is…. Something _beyond_ that.

What he told Yusuke is only a half-truth. It isn’t impossible to undo a bond with a demon, it's just… complicated. Everything involving Ren is _complicated_. But the sense of dread that has been hanging over Ren’s shoulders every time Yusuke entertains the thought of undoing their bond doesn't bother him nearly as much as it does now that the Witch is on his way to his school. Ren knows Yusuke won’t find what he’s looking for in the spell books at the Academy. What bonds them together isn’t something that can easily be found in books for Witches in training.

Even so, Ren heaves a heavy sigh. He peels himself away from the windowsill and scans the bedroom curiously. Without Yusuke to entertain him, Ren isn’t sure what to do with himself. This is his first time exploring the mortal realm without company and now that he is left to his own devices, a thousand and one ideas flood into his head.

“Might as well explore,” He grins.

The atelier is surprisingly big for only two people and Ren finds himself wondering more than once why Yusuke and the Old Prune need such a big place to themselves. Most of the spare rooms are filled with art supplies, from cans of paint to extra easels and other miscellaneous art supplies. In one room, he finds an empty fish tank full of junk. In another, Ren finds many paintings in various states of progression. He doesn't get the opportunity to explore that room for long, before Madarame finds him snooping and chases him out of the room with a rolled up newspaper in hand.

The sight would’ve been hilarious had Ren not been the object of the Old Man’s ire.

“Stay out of places that don’t concern you, Demon!” Madarame screeches then slams the art room door behind him once he’s chased Ren far enough away.

Ren rolls his eyes, his tail twitching in irritation. “It’s not like any of that stuff is worth _gold_ ,” he grumbles, his lips forming into a pout. Something catches his eye in the room to his left.

The door had been left ajar and while the lights are off. The way sunlight peeks into the room, highlighting the paint on a particular painting catches Ren’s attention. With a careful glance down the hallway, he slips into the room on silent feet.

It’s another workroom, and just like Madarame’s work station, the room is filled with paintings in various levels of progress. But _unlike_ Madarame, who has four to five easels in the room holding a canvas, this room only has one. It’s not the painting that catches Ren’s eye, but it’s intriguing enough to draw the demon closer. It’s still a work in progress, with only the base layers of paint on the canvas. Ren doesn’t know what it’s supposed to be, but it intrigues him in a way he can’t explain.

_This must be his work._ He thinks, tracing the design on the canvas with his index finger. His touch is light, its barely on the canvas, but Ren can practically feel the brush strokes Yusuke had used during his time working on the painting. Ren’s chest grows warm at the thought. A smile crawls onto his lips as he examines the rest of the room. The atmosphere he feels here is a startling contrast to Madarame’s work environment. Ren thinks he may just be biased, but he can sense the passion Yusuke holds for every single piece of art in this room.  It's a stark opposition to Madarame. All of _his_ works feel artificial, despite the immense talent displayed on the canvas.

He doesn’t know how long he's been in the room for, but the fine hairs on the back of his neck rise the moment he feels a pair of unwanted eyes on him. Madarame stands by the doorway, hands clasped together beneath his robe sleeves. Ren can sense the man isn’t as angry as he was before, but the irritation that wafts from him like a god awful stench makes Ren wrinkle his nose.

“Snooping around again, I see,” Madarame says.

Ren turns to face him full then tilts his head thoughtfully to the side. He makes a show of tapping his chin as his tail swings lazily behind him. “Oh, I was under the impression you humans called it _exploring_.”

Madarame steps into the room and eyes the incomplete painting beside Ren with a mixture of disgust and barely concealed envy. The stench of his irritation intensifies and it takes most of Ren’s will power not to openly gag in the man’s face. A part of him wonders what angers him so much about the painting, though.

“Frivolous,” The Old Man suddenly says, tearing his gaze away from the painting. “He still has much to learn.”

“I don’t know, it looks pretty good to me.”

“Yes, as would most trash.”

Ren scowls, his ire rising. “His art isn’t trash,” He growls.

But to Ren’s surprise, Madarame doesn’t grace him with a response.

Instead, his eyes are focused on something just above Ren’s head and it’s at that moment Ren realizes his demonic features are back. Weight tugs along his spine as his wings furl and unfurl out of habit. Madarame’s eyes on his horns cause a wave of nervousness to wash over him. The longer Madarame stares, the more anxious Ren becomes until something flashes within the Old Man’s eyes—something akin to recognition. _That_ disturbs Ren more than Madarame’s incessant staring.

“You are a Fallen,” He states. It’s not a question, and Ren isn’t sure how the old man knows.

His body grows weary under Madarame’s gaze, but he ignores the unexpected exhaustion in favor of mischief.

Ren steals a quick glance around himself and frowns. “But I’m still standing.”

Madarame’s irritation spikes in intensity. Ren tries his best not to laugh.

“No, you imbecile,” Madarame snaps, a vein in his forehead beginning to throb. “Your status! You are a _Fallen!_ ” He points to Ren’s horns as if to emphasize his point. Ren realizes, a bit too late, that it’s not his _horns_ Madarame is pointing to, but the thin golden chains that wrap around his first set.

He curses inwardly at his stupidity. He should’ve taken the damn jewelry off when Yusuke conjured up his clothes. How is it that his clothes can't traverse between realms but his damn horn ornaments can?!

“And you’re a human, but I don’t see how any of that is important,” Ren shrugs nonchalantly. He hopes the sweat he feels breaking out on his body isn’t visible.

He can feel his muscles start to tremble; the exhaustion prickling his eyes intensifies. Ren steals a quick glance to his hands and finds them shaking lightly.

_That’s not good_. He muses.

Madarame either doesn’t notice or doesn’t acknowledge Ren’s trembling. Instead, he recomposes himself and continues to stare at Ren’s horns as though they are the most fascinating things in all of existence. “No, I suppose _you_ wouldn’t, Demon,” he mutters, more to himself than to Ren.

Ren’s tail twitches. “I have a _name_.” He snaps, but the bite in his words is lost as a wave of dizziness unexpectedly overcomes him. He stumbles slightly, the corners of his vision tunneling black. Madarame quirks an eyebrow then sneers.

“So it would seem the drawbacks of the binding have finally caught up to you, Demon.” He chuckles darkly. “What an interesting predicament.”

Before Ren can get a chance to speak, the strength in his legs gives out. He collapses onto his hands and knees, his limbs quivering as he struggles to stay upright.

_No, no, definitely not good!_

Ren tries his best to recompose himself, but his breathing grows more labored by the second. The floor beneath him starts to spin; his vision tunneling. Distantly, he feels his tail wrap around his thigh in a measly attempt to ground himself to reality, but the touch doesn’t register quickly enough. He’s both hot and cold; beads of sweat start to dot his brow. He hears Madarame’s footsteps approaching, and can see the older man’s feet stop just within his field of vision.

Ren raises his head slowly; it’s a difficult task, but he manages to gaze into the sneering eyes of Madarame. He can barely make out the smell of intrigue wafting from Madarame in waves.

“Most curious,” Madarame says then chuckles. “My, haven’t I seen this before?” Ren doesn’t understand—doesn’t think he will ever understand—but Madarame continues speaking and it takes far too much energy for Ren to keep up. “Do take care, Demon. It would be a shame for a Fallen to die that easily.” Madarame turns on his heel and leaves.

Ren watches him go, his vision swimming.

“Sh-shit,” he gasps, clutching his chest. _Yusuke, come back! Yusuke--!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out some of my other Persona 5/Shukita related works!
> 
> [Operation: Moonfall](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17977424/chapters/42463739)  
> [Bon Appetite](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353877/chapters/40832006) (NSFW)  
> [Coffee Kisses](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16690219)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yusuke returns home with some... interesting guests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to [lizibabbles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liziscribbles/profile) for being a wonderful friend and beta with these chapters!! She just released a new fic called [Frame and Focus](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18249989/chapters/43183298) about Shukita being childhood friends under the tutelage of Madarame. So check it out if you'd like! It's super cute (and devastating but that should be a given at this point LOL) ♥

Reality returns to him slowly. Each eyelash feels like it weighs ten tons; it’s a struggle to open them and the exhaustion that Yusuke feels in his body seeps deep into his bones. When he blinks the blurriness away, Yusuke realizes he’s staring into the familiar water stained ceiling of Kosei Academy’s medical wing. He was familiar enough with the room to recognize the scents and sounds even if his mind is too muddy to recall the _why_.

The more he wakes up, the stronger the room’s antiseptic becomes and Yusuke slowly comes to the realization that he’s very, very uncomfortable. His chest feels painfully tight and every breath he takes feels like it’s not enough. But he’s not choking, not yet anyway. His ears are ringing and the noise makes it difficult for him to hear what’s going on around him.

When he turns his head, he’s suddenly face to face with a pair of sharp blue eyes. It’s Mona, Haru’s familiar, staring deeply into Yusuke's eyes as though he was a window to another world. Another realization hits him then—the familiar is glowing green. And then another—the loud buzzing he hears is the cat purring impossibly loud.

Haru’s head pokes over from Mona’s figure. She’s pale-faced and anxious looking, the stress lines on her forehead are deep.

“Mona-chan is trying to keep you stabilized,” She explains. “The nurses are trying to understand what’s wrong with you. They don’t believe you’re sick, but—”

“You look like a mess,” Another voice says.

Yusuke whips his head around to his left and—to his surprise—finds Ann sitting beside him. She, too, looks worried, but it’s less prominent on her features than it is on Haru's. Instead, Ann looks more worn than worried, like she’s been up since yesterday morning.

“T-Takamaki-san—” Yusuke’s voice trails off. There’s someone else hovering behind her. He’s tall but slouched and it's almost uncomfortable the way he arches his back behind her. He looks more uncomfortable than concerned like he would rather be anywhere but here, but Yusuke isn’t sure why, or even _who_ he is. He’s never seen the man before in his life.

Ann’s eyes follow Yusuke’s gaze. She whips her head back around, her blond pigtails nearly smacking the blond boy behind her in the face.

“Oh, don’t worry about him, Kitagawa-kun. Just pretend he isn’t here!” She exclaims anxiously. Her companion grumbles something beneath his breath, but Yusuke misses it over Mona’s loud purring.

An image of Ren jars Yusuke out of his thoughts. He struggles to sit up, much to the chagrin of both women. Mona’s green, warm glow fades away and it leaves Yusuke feeling surprisingly cold. He feels a little better, less worn down than before, but his limbs feel like dead weights and the longer he stays in the Academy, the worse it becomes.

“I must return to the Atelier,” He states, swinging his legs around the bed. “I have… there’s someone—” The words stumble on his tongue. He’s not sure what he’s trying to say.

“Then we’ll come with you,” Haru says. She rises to her feet but sways dangerously to the side. She nearly loses her footing but falls right into Yusuke’s embrace. He can feel the way she trembles in his arms.

“Haru!” Ann cries, hurrying over to Haru’s side. “You shouldn’t move around so much! Mona’s been healing Yusuke for almost thirty minutes now, you _have_ to rest!”

“But I—”

“We’ll help him get home,” The blond stranger cuts in, and it's only then Yusuke notices he’s right behind Ann again. The grin he gives them is reassuring.

“I beg your pardon?” Yusuke frowns. “You are not escorting me _anywhere_ —”

“ _Yusuke_ —” The way Ann says his name draws Yusuke’s attention back to her in a flash, surprise coloring his expression. She looks at him with blazing determination. She helps Haru settle back into her chair as Mona jumps into her lap and purrs. “You’re weak! If you think we’re letting you go home by yourself when you can barely walk, you are out of your mind. I know we’re not close, but I’ve seen you end up in here far too many times to leave you alone, okay? Besides, if you end up fainting on the way back to your house, Ryuji can help carry you!”

“I’m doing what now?!”

“I will not faint!”

“So it’s settled then!” Ann says, her smile bright despite the weariness in her movements. “We’re taking you back home, okay? Just tell us where you live and we’ll be on our way.”

Yusuke gets the feeling there’s no room for argument. He exchanges a glance with Haru, who merely chuckles.

“Please, let me know when you make it home safely, okay?”

“Don’t worry Haru, I’ve got it covered!” Ann promises and then whips out her cell phone.

Yusuke doesn’t get the chance to rebuff her when his phone vibrates in his pocket.

“I’ve officially added you to the group chat,” She says with a wink. “Now, what’s your address?”

* * *

The train ride back to the Atelier is, thankfully, uneventful. Yusuke realizes, the closer he gets back to the building, the less exhausted he feels. Ann’s unexpected company—Ryuji, if he remembers correctly—is unusually silent, though Yusuke suspects it has more to do with his presence than the blond’s actual demeanor. Every time Ryuji thinks Yusuke isn’t paying attention, he whispers into Ann’s ear and the two of them get into a small argument that usually ends with one of them grumbling. In this case, it was Ryuji’s turn to grumble. From the corner of Yusuke’s eye, he catches sight of Ann shoving a candy bar into the blond male’s chest and mutters something too low for him to hear.

By the time they’re outside of the Atelier, Yusuke feels considerably better. He debates for a moment whether or not it was impolite to shoo his guests away. Madarame has told him, time and time again, to keep his visitors to a minimum, meaning nonexistent.  The only people allowed in the Atelier are those interested in becoming Madarame’s pupils. But considering how far Ann and Ryuji have come, Yusuke decides his Sensei won't mind if they came in for a quick bathroom break. (He also has a sneaking suspicion that shooing both blondes away would be more trouble than it was worth.)

“Damn dude, you live like this?” Ryuji asks before Ann elbows him in the gut. He winces from the pain and shoots her a glare.

“What he means is, it’s really lovely!” Ann beams, ignoring her companion. “It’s really, uh, spacious!”

“Yes, erm, well come in.” Yusuke inserts the key into the lock, unlocks the door and slips inside.

The Atelier is unnaturally silent. The entrance way is dark, which strikes Yusuke has odd considering he’s certain Ren should still be in the building. He shoots the duo a look over his shoulder and urges them to make themselves comfortable before he leaves them to their own devices, a part of him hoping neither of them will touch anything that doesn't belong to them.

“Is there something wrong?” Ann asks and it startles him, though he’s not sure why.

He shakes his head quickly despite the anxiety gnawing in his chest. He grips his shirt tightly. “Ah, n-no. I’m only worried. I had another guest here, but perhaps he’s fallen asleep somewhere.”

“We’ll wait here then,” Ann smiles. He’s grateful for it.

Yusuke notices Ryuji hovering in the background. The blond looks bored for the most part and he snoops around the porcelain statues on the mantle when he thinks Yusuke and Ann aren’t watching. God, Yusuke really hopes Ryuji doesn’t break anything while he’s away.

Leaving them alone downstairs, Yusuke hurries onto the second floor in search for Ren. He searches his room first but finds it empty and the bed cold. He searches the other rooms then, leaving Madarame’s for last and pray to whatever God who would listen that the Demon didn’t get himself into trouble with his sensei.

There’s still one more room he hasn't checked yet: his private art room.  Yusuke hurries down the hall to the very last door in the hallway and pushes the door open. His breath leaves his lungs.

There, collapsed on the floor, unmoving, is Ren.

The short cry that rips from his throat is loud and animalistic. He’s moving before his brain can register what he’s doing and he turns Ren over onto his back, despite his wings making the movement difficult. His entire body is shaking, and he barely has enough sense of mind to register that he’s not alone in the room anymore.

Ryuji is by his side, crouching down to examine Ren’s body further. A mixture of emotions overwhelm Yusuke then; he’s torn between wanting to hide Ren’s body away from the blond stranger and screaming at him not to look at the creature in his arms, but Yusuke’s body doesn’t obey any of his commands.

Suddenly, he realizes Ryuji is trying to speak to him and he focuses all of his energy on trying to understand the words coming out of the blond’s mouth.

“Holy shit, what did you do?!” Ryuji screams, brown eyes frantically searching along Ren’s body.

“I’ve done nothing!” Yusuke replies, his heart hammering wildly. He feels like he’s going to throw up.

He catches sight of Ann standing by the doorway, her blue eyes wide with horror. More panic rushes into Yusuke’s veins as he realizes what this may mean for him in the future. She rushes into the room and falls to her knees beside Ryuji.

“Is he okay?! What’s wrong with him?” Ann asks. Yusuke sputters.

“He needs blood!” Ryuji exclaims.

Yusuke doesn’t understand what he means and his confusion only grows when Ann whips out an arm over the Demon. “I can—”

“ _NO!_ ” Ryuji’s scream is almost violent. The way he grabs her wrist and shoves it into her chest, all before Yusuke can blink, is startling. It must’ve caught Ann off guard too because the wide-eyed expression she gives to Ryuji is prominent. He shakes his head harshly, brown eyes sharp. He grits his teeth. “No, Ann, not from _you_.” He turns to Yusuke then. “Give me your hand!”

Yusuke’s brain goes numb. Without a word, he hands Ryuji his hand and watches, blankly, as Ryuji whips out a knife from inside his pocket and slashes it across Yusuke’s pale arm. It’s not a long cut, and the pain doesn’t fully register until Ryuji is already tucking the knife away, but the wound is deep and the blood that seeps from it is a precious crimson.

Ryuji holds the arm up to Ren’s lips and lets a few drops fall into his mouth. It seems to spark the demon to life. Suddenly, Yusuke watches as Ren latches onto his wound and desperately laps up traces of blood. The small twinges of pain Yusuke feels from the wound seem to abate the longer Ren licks. The trio watch the Demon in silence, and Yusuke isn’t sure how long it lasts—it certainly doesn't feel very long—when Ren finally pulls himself away from Yusuke’s arm. He licks his lips and the smile he gives Yusuke is both lackadaisical and drunk. His cheeks are flushed, his eyes half-lidded; Yusuke would’ve thought the sight funny if only he was able to wipe the memory of Ren prone on his floor away.

The dopey expression on Ren’s face suddenly disappears when he catches sight of Ryuji. Yusuke doesn’t get the chance to question what happened when Ann appears by his side. She takes his bleeding arm into her hands and hovers a palm over his wound. With the same, familiar light green glow he’d seen from both Mona and Ren, Yusuke feels Ann’s healing magic dive deep into his skin, stitching it back together until it's good as new again.

Ah, yes, how could he have forgotten? Ann specialized in healing magic after all.

Ryuji suddenly sighs and leans back onto his haunches. “Jeez, don’t you know how to take care of your own demon? That’s like, Demon Care 101.”

Yusuke blinks in confusion then scowls. “Forgive my ignorance. I wasn’t aware there was a class for such frivolous details.” He knows next to nothing about this blond stranger, but there is one thing he didn’t appreciate and it was Ryuji’s rudeness.

“Funny, your mouth says 'frivolous' but that panic I saw earlier says a whole lotta somethin’ else.”

“What _happened_?” Yusuke cuts in, ignoring Ryuji’s comment. His question is directed to Ren, who wraps a bang around his finger in silence.

“I… wish I knew. I just felt weak all of a sudden.” The demon shrugs. He gives Yusuke an apologetic smile, though the witch isn’t sure why. Ren’s tail is wrapped tightly around his thigh again. It squeezes the fabric of his pants tightly and Yusuke can't help but wonder if it will leave marks with how tight it squeezes.

He doesn’t miss the exchange that passes between Ann and Ryuji.

“What is it?”

“You two really don’t know, do ya?” Ryuji frowns.

“Know what?” Ren asks.

Its Ann’s turn to sigh. “Yusuke, when you summoned, erm—“

“Ren,” The demon helpfully supplies.

Ann smiles in gratitude. “—when you summoned Ren, was it intentional or accidental?”

“Accidental,” Yusuke grimaces. “My intent was to summon a Familiar.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” She laughs. “So, you know how Familiars are like low-level demons? They look like house pets because most low-level demons don’t really have a form and house pets are super cute but—“

“Ren’s your familiar, dude,” Ryuji cuts in, patting Yusuke hard on the back. “Just like me with Ann!”

Yusuke’s eyes widen in surprise. “You mean you’re—”

Ryuji’s grin is infectious, but Yusuke is too stunned to return the smile. “Yeah! I’m a certified, badass, ferocious demon at your service! Well, actually, I’m in Ann’s service but—”

Yusuke jerks his head in Ann’s direction: “What _happened_?!” He asks.

“Oh, um,” Ann suddenly blushes, breaking away from Yusuke’s and Ren’s curious gaze. “You see, I was trying to do the ritual too, because of our assignment, but, well… I… kinda forgot what the runes were supposed to look like so I just… made them up.”

Ren whistles impressed. “And that actually worked?”

Ann’s cheeks turn pinker. “The proof is in Ryuji, so uh, yeah!”

“Takamaki-san…” Yusuke breathes, but whatever he planned on saying gets lost in his throat as Ryuji’s boisterous laughter fills the room. Ann’s whole face lights up in embarrassment and she whips a deadly glare toward Ryuji’s direction.

“It’s not funny, Ryuji!” She huffs. “Don’t you realize you’re stuck with me until we can find a way to unbind?”

“Yeah, I know,” He grins. “Doesn’t mean it ain’t funny.”

Yusuke watches the duo for a moment, a sense of relief washing over him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyyyy!! Familiar facess!!! Expect to see more of Ryuji and Ann now that they're officially introduced into the story. :D More familiar faces will be popping up soon.
> 
>  
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nadacreates?lang=en)   
>  [tumblr](http://nadacreates.tumblr.com/)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yusuke decides to accept the hand that Fate has dealt him (sorta) while Ren and Ryuji have a bonding moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you to [lizibabbles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liziscribbles/profile) for beta reading this chapter!
> 
> Friendly reminder to recheck the tags for this story, because catlike!Demons is going to be a reoccurring theme. This chapter was a ball to write so I hope it's a ball to read T-T

It surprises Ren how quickly Ann preoccupies Yusuke’s attention. Once Ann deems them both to be fine, she whips out her tome and drags Yusuke into a heated discussion about the things she’s learned from Ryuji since their binding.

He watches them curiously, the sound of their voices slipping in and out of his mind as something twists uncomfortably in Ren’s chest. The way Yusuke relaxes around Ann is barely noticeable to the naked eye, but Ren can _see_ it; can practically _sense_ each of Yusuke’s muscles releases tension he’d been holding onto since this morning. The _thing_ that claws its way into his chest is unpleasant, and he tries his best to keep it from slithering into the bond linking him to the blue-haired Witch.

The way Yusuke gives Ann his undivided attention tells Ren that he’s succeeding in keeping his emotions in check, but the more he watches, the stronger the feeling becomes.

He’s snapped out of his gaze the moment he senses Ryuji’s presence beside him. The blond-haired demon rests an arm against Ren’s shoulder, dropping his weight against him as he leans. Ren shoots him a quirked eyebrow.

Ryuji blinks. “What?” Ren eyes the arm against his shoulder then stares back into Ryuji’s eyes. “Oh come on! I saved your life. I think that qualifies us as friends.” He grins, it’s almost infectious. “Besides, you were starting to look like a kicked puppy watchin’ them bond like that.”

Heat crawls up the nape of Ren’s neck. He shrugs Ryuji off his shoulder, clearing his throat. “I wasn’t,” He grumbles.

But Ryuji’s grin is still plastered on his face. It grows wicked the longer he smiles. “Yeah, sure, dude. Whatever you say, RenRen.”

Ren whips his head around so fast, they _both_ hear the loud snap of something popping beneath his skin. He grabs onto Ryuji’s shirt and shoves him out of the room before Yusuke and Ann have a chance to notice. They’re out in the hall before Ryuji can laugh, and it’s not until Ren has the door to Yusuke’s art room closed quietly does the blond finally chuckle.

“What? Is that off-limits too?”

“Stop trying to embarrass me in the mortal world, _Ryazzath._ ” Ren emphasis the demon’s true name with a teasing smirk. The wicked grin on Ryuji’s face sours. He shoves his fists into his pockets and tries his best to keep from pouting, but he fails, and Ren relishes in the embarrassment that colors Ryuji’s ears. “It’s not so fun when you’re being teased, huh?”

“Yeah, yeah,” The blond scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Seriously though, I didn’t think I’d find you here of all places.” Ryuji’s smile returns to his face and it’s almost endearing to Ren how quickly the demon can recover his composure. “And in the predicament, you’re in too! Holy shit dude, everyone in the Metaverse is gonna flip their shit when word gets out.”

Ren’s dark gray eyes narrow threateningly.

“Oh, _come on_! Don’t be like that. It’s not every day a demon gets hitched, ya know.”

“Which is exactly why no one is going to find out,” Ren says with a devilish sneer. “You’re stuck in the mortal world, too. You can’t rat me out.”

Ryuji’s scoff sounds irritated. “Wow, okay, ouch. I ain’t no rat, alright? I’m not some asshole like Alvakin. I know we weren’t that close in the Metaverse, but I thought we were decent enough for you to think better of me, Raezriel.” The pout Ryuji gives him is hilarious, and Ren doesn’t stop himself from laughing.

He was right, though. They weren’t particularly close back when they were in the demon realm, but Ryazzath—no, Ryuji—has a reputation that traveled across the Metaverse. He's a misfit, a demon who can't be tamed, and even though Ren only knows him via the rumors, he _knows_ Ryuji isn’t a bad demon.

“But seriously, dude,” Ryuji cuts in after a moment of silence. “Does this guy have any idea what he’s done?” He gives Ren a worried look. “Does _anyone_ know?”

Ren shakes his head.

“It just happened. He doesn’t know and I’m not gonna tell him. Besides, he’s trying to find a way to undo our bond.”

“That’s not—”

“Possible, I know, but he’s stubborn.” Ren chuckles darkly. The runes on his skin burn at the thought as something twists painfully in his chest. He doesn’t bother to hide the grimace that escapes him, but he does ignore the look of concern that appears on Ryuji’s face. He gestures to Ryuji’s wrists where he assumes his binding to Ann is hidden within the sleeves. “What about you? You’re tethered to Ann, too. What happened?”

It’s not the question he wants to ask. He _knows_ they bonded; understands that Ryuji’s tethering to Ann is vastly different than Ren’s tethering to Yusuke, but the proper words don’t form correctly on his tongue. He hopes Ryuji can read between the lines.

The nonchalant shrug Ryuji gives him doesn’t tell him much. “I got bored,” He says casually. “I heard her call and I thought it’d be something fun to do.”

Ren feels like that’s the most Ryuji-thing he’s ever heard from the boy’s mouth. He envies him, almost, and it doesn’t surprise him in the least.

He doesn’t know the demon well, but he is familiar with Ryuji’s family. He's the son of a middle tier demon clan, and while Ren has only ever heard of the clan in passing, he _is_ familiar with their reputation for roaming anywhere they pleased. Ryuji's binding to Ann was a choice, and judging by the lack of runes gracing the blond demon’s neck, Ren understands their tethering isn’t as permanent as his is to Yusuke.

“What are ya gonna do for food?” Ryuji asks. Ren tilts his head in confusion, startled out of his thoughts. “You know, your particular tastes are, uh, _weird._ ”

Ren snorts. “It’s not weird.”

“No, but it’s problematic, especially since this guy’s a dude and you can’t just… feed off of blood all the time, ya know?” Ryuji starts to search his jacket pockets. “Here.” He shoves a candy bar into Ren’s chest. “I’ve only been tethered to Ann for a few hours now, but she’s got a major sweet tooth. You can munch on this for now, until you figure things out.”

Ren feels a sense of warmth spread along his limbs as he grabs onto the candy bar. He examines it for a moment then gives Ryuji a grateful smile. “Thanks. This candy bar will keep me fed for the week.” He jokes.

“Yeah, yeah,” Ryuji says, rolling his eyes. “Gee, I forget how _funny_ you are. Your reputation doesn’t do you justice, _RenRen_.”

“I can feed off of other demons, you know.” Ren muses sweetly.

Ryuji’s brown eyes suddenly widen in horror. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Stop calling me RenRen.”

“I’ll _think_ about it.”

Before Ren has a chance to retort, the door to Yusuke’s art room opens again. Ann seems relatively pleased about something, but it's evident the events of the day are wearing Yusuke down. Ren drifts to the Witch’s side, but there’s nothing he can do to help him other than urge Yusuke to rest for the day.

He follows Yusuke’s lead down to the first floor and bids his farewells to Ann and Ryuji, both of them promising to keep in touch. Ren senses the mixture of emotions in Yusuke’s body, but he doesn’t get the chance to really decipher what they mean. Before he realizes it, it's only him and Yusuke left in the Atelier. Yusuke turns to him then and watches him. The silence between them stretches, it’s comfortable at first then grows awkward the longer Yusuke stares. Ren flashes him a pleased little smile, his tail flicking lazily behind him. Yusuke’s gray eyes zero in on the tail’s movements, and, for a brief moment, Ren wonders if Yusuke has a subconscious attraction to his tail.

Before he has the chance to tease the witch, Yusuke sighs and slumps against the door.

“This day has been trying,” he says. The weariness in his tone makes Ren want to hurry him into the bedroom upstairs. “As you can imagine, the library was a bust. Next time, I will take you with me, now that I am aware of the limits to our binding.”

Ren tilts his head curiously. “Limits?”

“Yes. Now that I am aware you are, indeed, my familiar, there are limits to our bond. For example, distance. Newly formed bonds, such as the one between us, are unstable. We cannot part from each other for long periods of time lest we find ourselves in embarrassing predicaments… such as fainting.” His cheeks tinge pink at the thought. Ren can’t help but find it cute. “Once we become more familiarized with each other, the distance will gradually increase. So, next time, I will take you to Kosei Academy.”

The chuckle Yusuke releases is deep yet genuine, and it carries across the empty hallway. Ren can feel the laughter reverberate deep inside him, warming his soul.

“To think that _I_ would summon such a high tiered demon as a familiar,” Yusuke mutters. “Admittedly, it is not what I expected, but I am rather pleased with the outcome.”

“Thanks, I’ve been told I’m quite the catch,” He teases. It’s a lie, but Yusuke doesn’t need to know that.

Instead, the Witch settles a tired gaze Ren’s way, his smile soft, but pure. The happiness Ren senses within their bond is both startling and breathtaking.

“I’ve often sought a companion.”

The confession is quiet, barely a whisper in the silent hallway, but Ren’s keen ears catches it all the same. He’s sure Yusuke meant to say Familiar, not companion—that word implied something more than what they currently have, but it fills Ren with a sense of warmth. Being Yusuke’s companion sounded like something he would definitely enjoy.

* * *

Yusuke still refuses to rest until the day’s chores are done. Ren watches the taller boy prepare dinner for them in silence. He stays out of the way, per Yusuke’s request, and leans against the door frame. The room fills with various delicious aromas and it reminds the demon of the chocolate bar still sitting in his pocket. His stomach makes itself known by growling, but he ignores it. He’s thankful for the loud clanks of the pots and pans as Yusuke maneuvers around the kitchen with the grace of a dancer despite the exhaustion eating at his muscles.

Yusuke tells him dinner won’t take long, which is why he insists on cooking it in the first place, and the way he moves around in the kitchen leads Ren to believe that Yusuke is right. Still, his stomach growls in hunger, but Ren knows it’s not for the dinner Yusuke is preparing. His mind drifts back to the blood Ryuji had forced into him from earlier. He can still taste the soft, sweetness on his tongue and the sparks of energy that flow into his veins. Blood doesn’t usually taste that good, and the more Ren thinks about it, the more he wants to take another bite.

Even so, he resists.

Yusuke’s blood is unlike anything he’s ever tasted in his life, but it’s not his to take. No, he doesn't want to take it without Yusuke’s permission.

Once Yusuke prepares the table for them and urges Ren to join him, Ren watches the Witch dive into his meal with… less grace. They’re halfway through their meal when Yusuke’s gray eyes pierce into Ren.

“Seeing as you will be staying with me for the foreseeable future, I feel it is my duty as your Summoner to get to know you better.”

Ren doesn’t like the way the word ‘Summoner’ echoes in his ears. He swallows the food in his mouth and takes a drink of water to wash it all down. “Okay. What do you want to know?” He grins coyly.

Yusuke gestures toward his horns. “The fine jewelry there. What do they signify?”

“Status mostly.”

Yusuke tilts his head slightly. “Is it safe to presume you’re a high tier demon? I made the assumption earlier, but it is quite possible I was incorrect.”

“Uh, sure I guess?” Ren smiles apologetically. “Sorry, I don’t really keep track of that stuff personally. My parents… they have a reputation, I guess you could say.”

Yusuke’s eyes flash curiously at the mention of Ren’s parents. “What are your parents like?”

“Demons,” Ren quips. The flat look Yusuke gives him makes the demon laugh. “I don’t know. Like any other parent, I guess? What are your parents like?”

“My parents are deceased.” The toneless way Yusuke states the facts makes Ren pause. He can’t read the boy’s emotions through the link and there’s nothing on Yusuke’s face that gives Ren any more information on how he feels about the subject. It’s almost as if it was just that, a _fact_.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I was very young. I have no recollection of my father and memories of my mother are hazy at best. Although—” He trails off despite Ren’s interest. Yusuke takes a swig of his drink. “What was your life like before I summoned you?” He asks instead.

Ren’s mind sputters for a moment. He shoves his white rice around in his plate, various images of the Metaverse playing before his eyes. He shrugs.

“Being here is more interesting,” He says with a smile. It’s not much of an answer, but he’s grateful when Yusuke doesn’t press further.

They finish off their dinner in silence and Yusuke hurriedly cleans before Madarame returns to the Atelier. Ren finds the Witch’s speed fascinating because Yusuke manages to not only get their plates washed and dried, but he also manages to prepare Madarame’s meal just as the old man makes his presence known in the kitchen. He gives Ren an appraising look before brushing past the demon and taking his seat at the table.

“So you survived,” He says, keeping his attention focused on the plate. The look of confusion that flashes across Yusuke’s face isn’t lost to Ren.

“Yeah, sorry to disappoint,” Ren shrugs, a wry grin on his lips. “But I figured it’d be rude of me to just drop dead in the middle of the room, you know? Even if you did leave me there to die.”

The horror that bleeds into Yusuke’s expression is almost comical. Ren gives him a reassuring smile, but he knows it doesn’t do anything to calm the hurricane brewing inside Yusuke at that moment.

Madarame’s only response is to chuckle and he dismisses them both with a flick of his hand.

Yusuke is already out the door before Madarame can put his hand down and he physically drags Ren with him. He doesn’t say a word until they’re back in Yusuke’s room. Once the door closes shut, Yusuke shoots Ren a look that’s surprisingly difficult for the demon to read. The anger he feels isn’t directed toward Ren, he can tell that much through their connection, but the witch doesn’t say a word. Instead, his gray eyes roam Ren’s body for a moment, his fine eyebrows smoothing out until the hurricane of rage settles back.

Ren finds the whole process extremely fascinating.

Yusuke heads toward a drawer and pulls out an old, wrinkled nightshirt and some pants from the drawer.

“These arrangements will be temporary,” he begins, handing Ren the old clothes. “Until the bond solidifies enough for a proper separation, you will sleep here tonight.”

He rolls out an extra mat from the closet onto the ground and hands Ren a spare pillow from his own bed.

“Thank you,” Ren purrs. Their fingers brush softly as Ren takes the pillow from Yusuke. He catches the way the Witch freezes but quickly turns away. “I can tell you’re exhausted. Why don’t you rest?”

“Yes, I shall,” Yusuke sighs. He doesn’t bother changing out of his clothes and collapses on top of his mattress. He rolls onto his back and yawns tiredly. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs unexpectedly. “For my Sensei’s crude behavior. He is a difficult man to understand.”

“I already figured he was an asshole,” Ren chuckles. He kneels beside Yusuke’s bed and rests his head against his arms, gold-tinted gray eyes watching Yusuke. “By the way, you didn’t formally tell me your name.”

“Pardon?” Yusuke murmurs, his eyes struggling to stay open. “You already know my name.”

“But you never told me _willingly_.”

It’s silly of him to ask because he knows Yusuke is right. He already knows the Witches name, but there’s more to his request and he’s not prepared to explain. Yusuke murmurs something intelligible in reply. Ren draws in closer as the Witch’s eyes fall shut. Yusuke puffs out a soft breath and for a moment, Ren doesn’t think the Witch intends to reply. But he hears it, barely audible, but quite clear:

“Yusuke,” the witch murmurs softly.

Ren watches him for a moment, Yusuke’s breathing evening out as he slips under the veil of deep sleep. He reaches a hand toward Yusuke’s face and caresses the boy’s cheek softly.

“ _Yusuke_ ,” Ren purrs, his entire body exploding with heat. He rests his head against his arms and lets the low rumble in his chest carry across the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you're having difficulty pronouncing their demon names:
> 
> Raezriel (Rah•zree•el or Ray•zree•el)  
> Ryazzath (Ree•ahz•aath)  
> Alvakin (Al•va•kin)
> 
> Coming up with demon names was really fun. Raezriel and Alvakin is probably my favorites from the collection, only because they sound pretty plausible lmfao. We'll be seeing Alvakin at some point in the story! (And no, he's not an OC. He is very much an important persona 5 character)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yusuke deals with Ren's peculiar habits. It must be a demon thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I'm alive. I survived a 15k big bang and one zine submission, but I've got 4 more bangs and another zine to go. Pray for me (I guess???)

Yusuke finds himself in a warm and pleasant embrace. He’s tucked comfortably into someone’s chest, his vision obscured by his dark blue bangs. The soft fragrance of their clothes is familiar to him, and a faint image of a woman comes to mind, but the more he tries to focus, the harder it becomes. He doesn’t remember why the scent is familiar or who it belongs to, but Yusuke doesn’t care. He’s content within this stranger's arms, and hopes he can stay this way for eternity.

He knows he’s in a dream, and the realization of it dawns on him slowly. He doesn’t see where they are, but still knows it through the sense of logic that always occurs in his dreams. He can make it out despite being unable to see, and _knows_ that where he is isn’t like the vast darkness from his previous dreams. The place he’s in is brightly lit and warm. He can feel the rays of the sun shining down on him and the soft caress of a gentle breeze against his skin. The smell of grass and the nearby flowers overpower the familiar scent of the person he’s with, but it doesn’t trouble him in the slightest. He’s the most tranquil he’s ever been.

_“Beautiful_ ,” he hears his companion say. Their voice is both feminine and masculine; it’s somehow high, yet also deep.

It sounds familiar too, and Yusuke wonders who they are. It must be someone he trusts to be laying on them like this. The embrace grows tight, pulling Yusuke deeper into them.

_I want to get closer._ He thinks. He feels his companion’s chuckle before he hears it, and this time, the voice is deep and masculine.

“Am I that comfortable?” The voice teases. Yusuke feels fingers cart through his hair. He melts under the touch. “Thank you for this place, _Yusuke_.”

Yusuke’s name rolls off his companion’s tongue almost lovingly. It sends shivers down his spine and Yusuke buries his nose deeper into his companion’s chest.

“Do you like the way I say your name?” The voice above him murmurs. Something rumbles in the stranger’s chest; it’s loud in Yusuke’s ear, but it only serves to drag Yusuke deeper into the comfort he’s wrapped in. “Do you like it, _Yusuke_?”

A delicious chill runs up his spine. Yusuke shudders.

_It sounds like a lover’s whisper_. He muses innocently. The rumbling continues.

His companion’s fingers trail down the nape of Yusuke’s neck; the touch sends fire through Yusuke’s veins. The moan that escapes his throat is loud and embarrassing. It makes the fingers on his skin freeze and the body he’s lying on tense, but Yusuke doesn’t feel the shame he knows he should. Instead, the stranger chuckles again.

“I’m sorry. I should know better than to tease you.” He feels the fingers return to his hair and Yusuke imagines them to be long and slender, skillful, yet dangerous. The image he has in his mind looks familiar, but just like everything else, he doesn’t remember why.

Smoldering yellow eyes spring into mind.

Yusuke senses a shift in his companion. He can feel it in the way their stomach muscles tense a second time. Suddenly, the pleasant rumbling he’d been listening to turns into a loud, growl.

Shame bleeds into the pleasant atmosphere and Yusuke frowns.

Before he can speak, darkness washes over him. He feels his companion's presence leave him, taking all the warmth with them. Yusuke’s eyes snap open, but the darkness that surrounds him keeps him blind. His sense of tranquility is gone, and while he thinks he should feel more alarmed about his surroundings, he’s not.

Another growl catches his attention. Yusuke whirls in place toward the sound, and despite the black inky veil that blinds him, he can make out the eyes in the dark. They aren’t the same golden ones he’s seen countless times before. These are different; smaller and sharp. They rise higher and higher, the growls intensifying. Fear bleeds into Yusuke’s veins. The eyes surge for him suddenly—

Yusuke jerks in his bed with sweat dotting his brow and his heart pounding in his chest. He feels constricted; one arm seems to be free while the other is held down by a heavy weight. Something heavy, yet warm, is pressed into his side and when Yusuke turns his head, he’s met with a wild, black bush of hair. It takes him too long to remember who the hair belongs to. It takes him even longer to realize Ren has him wrapped tightly like a messy burrito. The demon’s wings are splayed across the bed like an extra blanket. Yusuke takes a moment to admire their length and size.  They're large, unlike anything he’s ever seen before, and upon closer inspection, Yusuke realizes the thin membrane that makes up majority of his wings morph into black feathers the closer it gets to Ren’s back.

Another realization strikes him then and it’s how immensely comfortable he feels, tucked underneath Ren’s embrace. When had the demon crawled into his bed? Didn’t he leave a futon out for Ren to sleep on?

He thinks back to the dreams, the one where he was held in someone’s arms and the electric touch that Yusuke can still feel on the back of his neck. The voice replays in his mind and another shiver runs down Yusuke’s spine.

Yusuke freezes in terror. Why do his pants feel so tight?

In a fit of panic, he scrambles out of bed, detangling himself from Ren’s limbs and the bed sheets. The demon groans, distressed by the movement, and Yusuke freezes again, waiting. He watches the demon with bated breath, yet the creature remains asleep. He curls deeper into the remnants of Yusuke’s warmth. A light rumbling fills the room. Yusuke’s brows crawl into his hairline.

“I wasn’t aware demons can purr,” He muses. “How cute.” But as quickly as the discovery comes, Yusuke decides it isn’t important enough for him to risk standing there with a hard-on tenting his boxers. Embarrassment bleeds into his veins; he hurries out of the room and holes up in the bathroom to get ready for the day.

By the time he returns, Yusuke is surprised to find a pair of gold-tinged eyes gazing up at him from the mattress. Somehow, in the few minutes Yusuke was away, Ren had flipped himself over and perched his head into a soft mound of bundled blankets. The only part of his face Yusuke can see are his wide, curious eyes. His dark hair is ruffled mess, a few curls spiking upward all around his head. Yusuke thinks it’s cute, almost like a cat.

“Good morning, Sunshine,” Ren purrs from behind the blanket mound. “How did you sleep?”

“Good. Although, my dreams were rather… peculiar.”

Ren straightens his back so that he’s fully sitting on the bed with his legs crossed like a butterfly. “Peculiar how?” The way he asks makes Yusuke hesitate. There’s a level of curiosity Yusuke can sense from within their bond that makes him believe Ren is fishing for a particular answer. For a moment, Yusuke wonders if, perhaps, Ren was somehow _aware_ of his peculiar dream?

Yusuke’s knowledge of the Fallen, the demon clan most infamously associated with the holy texts, is shamefully limited, but he _does_ know that they aren’t demons particularly skilled in Dream Walking.

Ren’s curious gaze is penetrating. The way he stares at Yusuke has the witch's hackles rising. There’s something oddly familiar about the demon’s eyes and the more Yusuke stares, the more obvious it becomes.

Realization dawns on him and Yusuke closes the gap between them before either of them could say a word. His fingers gently grasp around Ren’s chin and he lifts the demon’s face toward him, his thin brows furrowing in concentration. Ren’s curiosity morphs into confusion, and there’s something that tugs along their link that Yusuke doesn’t recognize. Not that he cares to, he’s far too busy examining Ren’s eyes to notice the splash of color painting Ren’s cheeks.

“Yusuke?”

“Your eyes,” The witch says suddenly, drawing closer to Ren’s face. “I did not realize they were two-toned.” In fact, Yusuke is almost positive they weren’t before. Hadn’t they been entirely dark? But the demon’s eyes are clearly two different colors now. The edges of Ren’s pupils are a bright, golden yellow, which bleeds across the dark, ash gray canvas Yusuke assumes is Ren’s original eye color. It’s unnatural the way the color spreads, but it’s also astonishingly beautiful.

Yusuke wants to go in deeper, to better examine the minute details of his Familiar’s multi-colored eyes, but Ren doesn’t give him the opportunity. The moment Yusuke mentions the abnormality, Ren jerks away from Yusuke’s touch. It’s only then the witch realizes just how close they’d gotten.

“My apologies, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” Yusuke frowns, suddenly embarrassed. He does them both a favor and widens the gap between them. “I couldn’t resist being captivated by the change.”

“Its fine,” Ren says, though the way he says it makes Yusuke think it wasn’t fine at all. “Don’t worry about it. My eyes changing, that’s, uh, that’s a demon thing.” He laughs, but it’s half-hearted.

Yusuke can’t help but wonder why. “Is there something wrong?”

Ren shakes his head. “No, just… don’t mind me.” The smile he gives him is more genuine and whatever worry Yusuke was starting to feel was assuaged away. “Don’t you have to cook for the old man? It’s almost time for His Holiness to awaken.”

Yusuke is torn between admonishing Ren for his blatant disrespect to Madarame and laughing. In the end, he decides to do neither and heeds Ren’s advice. But preparing Madarame’s breakfast doesn’t distract Yusuke’s mind from Ren’s changing eyes nor does it keep him from pondering the demon’s hesitation. There’s more to it than Ren is willing to let him know, and a part of Yusuke feels ashamed that his knowledge of Demons, let alone the clan of the Fallen, is so limited that he’s not sure what to make of this discovery.

He’s so lost in his head that he doesn’t notice the way Ren draws closer to him, yellow-gray eyes watching his every movement. They nearly bump into each other on more than one occasion, and when Yusuke nearly drops the spatula he’s using, Ren is immediately banished to the table until he’s done. Yusuke can _sense_ the demon’s pouting through their connection before he sees it, and when he finally gives Ren the attention he’s been craving, he’s not surprised to find the demon sulking childishly at the table. He catches the way Ren’s tail flicks in awkward, jittery movements, and files it away in his memory.

_His tail jerks erratically when he’s sulking._ He muses, setting down Madarame’s steaming hot plate of breakfast. _Cute._

He places an empty porcelain cup beside Ren’s right hand and pours hot tea into the container. Steam curls upward from deep within the small basin, and Yusuke watches in partial amusement as Ren seems almost transfixed by it.

“Would you like some tea?” He asks.

Ren’s tail jerks as though he were startled by the sudden question, but the rest of his expression remains fascinated by the cup that he doesn’t respond.

“I will take that as a yes,” Yusuke chuckles, turning his back.

In that moment, Madarame steps into the kitchen looking freshly washed and chipper. It’s odd, seeing his Sensei this happy, but Yusuke doesn’t question it. He grabs an extra cup from the cabinets just as Madarame takes his seat and turns around. He barely has the chance to move when suddenly, Ren swats the piping hot tea off the table.

The three of them watch, as if entranced, as the tea cup spirals in the air and crashes spectacularly to the ground. Steaming hot tea splatters along the floor just as bits and pieces of porcelain go flying.

Silence fills the room. Yusuke and Madarame stare in Ren’s direction. He blinks away from the mess, a satisfied smile gracing his lips, but it vanishes the moment all eyes are on him.

Ren blinks. He glances back to the tea cup then at the witches eyeing him.

“What?”

Horror floods Yusuke’s body. His eyes are immediately drawn to Madarame, who seems to be dumbfounded. A series of apologies are already on the tip of his tongue, but before he can say a word, his Sensei leans his forehead into his fingers, frustration evident in his tense muscles.

“For what reason did you find that necessary, demon?” Madarame queries and Yusuke can’t help the sudden wave of guilt that washes over him from the way his Sensei sounds exhausted already.

“Sorry,” Ren says and Yusuke is pleased to know that the demon has enough foresight to at least _appear_ like he means it. “I couldn’t resist.”

Madarame shoots him an incredulous look. “You could not… resist?”

“It was tempting me.”

“Tempting you?”

“Are you deaf?” Ren frowns. Suddenly Yusuke feels horrified all over again. “I’m speaking plain Japanese aren’t I? Or maybe you’re just a little too slow on the uptake—”

“You insolent little—”

“Sensei, please, your breakfast is getting cold,” Yusuke cuts in, appearing in between them with a washcloth in hand. “Don’t worry about the mess, I will clean it up at once. Ren, will you assist me?”

Yusuke doesn’t wait for an answer. He shoves the dry cloth into Ren’s hands and physically peels him out of the chair. It’s surprisingly easy how Ren lets him do what he wants. Together, they clean up the mess, discard of the pieces and immediately vacate the kitchen before Madarame’s mood can get any worse. Yusuke works everything so quickly that he forgets to give Madarame another cup for his tea, but it’s too late now.

Once they’re back upstairs and out of hearing distance, Yusuke settles Ren with a curious, yet stern, gaze.

“Ren, what on Earth—“ Yusuke’s voice cracks into a bubble of laughter. He immediately clears his throat and furrows his brows. “What on Earth possessed you to do such a childish thing?” He tries again, and feels pleased with himself when his laughter doesn’t return.

Ren’s curious gaze turns into a sheepish pout. His cheeks grow pink from embarrassment.  His tail curls around his thigh again and it takes all of Yusuke’s will power to keep from smiling. There is something far too adorable about the scene before him, but just as quickly as Yusuke thinks it, he shoves the thoughts away.

Ren averts his eyes as his fingers anxiously curl a strand of hair. “Sorry.” He murmurs.

That surprises Yusuke more than anything. “Why are you apologizing?”

“Because the old man was in a pretty good mood, which meant _you’d_ be in a good mood but my idiotic impulses got in the way.” Ren finally faces Yusuke, and with a reassuring smile, says, “I’ll be sure to resist next time.”

“Alright, but please do explain to me why you did it in the first place?’

Ren gives him a blank look. “Why _not_?”

Yusuke isn’t sure how to react to that.

* * *

 

Yusuke eyes his latest painting with a critical eye. He stares at it long and hard; takes notice of the strokes integrated within layers and layers of paint and the colors he’s chosen. He’s been working on this piece for weeks now.  The image he has in his mind is still fresh and the guiding light of inspiration is still just as exciting as when the idea first struck him. Yet, as he examines it now, beneath the natural light of the afternoon sun, there’s something about it that doesn’t sit well with him. Or, perhaps, it’s not the painting itself that’s the issue.

From his peripheral vision, Yusuke can see the intent gaze of the demon watching him. They’ve only been in Yusuke’s art room for the past twenty minutes, and the only thing Ren’s done is stare… but not at the painting.

Yusuke dips his brush into a fresh mound of paint and brings it to the canvas. He hesitates, lowers his brush and thinks. Ren’s eyes follow him. He shifts slightly, but remains silent. Yusuke raises the brush again and just as he expects, Ren follows his every movement.

Yusuke sighs through his nose and lowers his brush again. His mouth flies open, a query on the tip of his tongue but the sound that fills the room is a loud, deep rumble. Yusuke snaps his mouth shut, his eyebrows furrowing together. Suddenly, embarrassment bleeds into his connection with Ren and it takes Yusuke a moment to realize where that noise came from.

Ren’s face turns an impressive shade of red, and when Yusuke turns to meet his gaze, he finds the demon avoiding him completely. Yusuke tries to speak again, but the rumble returns. Ren clutches his stomach with a grimace.

“Are you hungry?” Yusuke finally asks. “You didn’t eat breakfast this morning.”

“I’m fine.”

The growl that punctuates the air defies Ren’s words. Yusuke finally leaves his brush with the rest of his supplies and turns to Ren fully.

“Ren, if you’re hungry, I can—”

“I’m not hungry,” Ren snaps, far more harshly than Yusuke expects. “I-I’m sorry, but I’m fine. Please… keep painting.” He pleads and it surprises Yusuke how deeply he feels it.

Yusuke quietly obliges him and turns back to his painting, but he doesn’t immediately pick up his brush, nor does his mind fall back into the creative zone. Ren’s stomach continues to growl. Sometimes it's loud enough for Yusuke to hear, other times, he can only sense the mounting fear growing within their bond.

It’s distracting, and the longer Yusuke tries to force himself _not_ to notice the more prominent Ren’s fear becomes.

His demon is hungry and Yusuke isn’t sure why Ren is so adamant about denying it. He recalls Ren eating dinner the night before and how little of the food he consumed then. But also, he remembers the way Ryuji had cut into his flesh and poured blood into Ren’s mouth. Was blood something the demon needed as well? Did the fallen even consume blood?

“Ren, what type of demon are you?” Yusuke asks, setting the brush down again.

Ren whips his attention toward the Witch, his eyebrows raised into his hairline. He tilts his head slightly. “What do you mean?”

“Yesterday, when Ann’s demon resuscitated you, he gave you my blood. Is blood something you find nutritious?”

Yusuke can sense Ren’s hesitation before he sees it, and again, he wonders _why_. What was it about food that his demon found so terrifying?

“Partly, yeah. But don’t feel obligated to feed me. Blood is important for you too.” He smiles.

Yusuke frowns.

Without waiting for a response, Ren preoccupies himself with some of Yusuke’s old discarded art pieces lying in the corner of the art room. He starts to bombard him with a series of questions that Yusuke doesn’t have a chance to answer. He lets the demon roam for a moment, unsure if the anxiety he feels within their bond comes from the demon or from him, but there is something far more troublesome that lingers in the back of Yusuke’s mind.

Ren’s eyes are more gold than gray. Yusuke is sure that wasn’t the case before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to [lizibabbles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liziscribbles/profile) for beta reading this chapter and always being encouraging when it comes to this story (and all of my crackpot ideas.)
> 
> She's posted a new story today, so if you're a fan of Lizi's works, check them out!! But heed the tags on this one, there may be some triggering topics discussed. 
> 
> [Shine](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18754633/chapters/44489737)  
> Summary:
> 
> _It's shaking the sky, and I'm following lightning; I'll recover if you keep me alive...  
>  Don't leave me behind, can you see me? I'm shining, and it's you that I've been waiting to find._
> 
> If Yusuke Kitagawa could have one wish, it would be to know the inner machinations of Ren Amamiya's mind. If Ren Amamiya could have one wish, it would be for his mind to be less of a mess so he could show Yusuke what it's like on the inside. Yusuke is willing to do everything in his power to pull Ren up from the depths of his own despair. Will Ren be able to meet him halfway?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren is temporarily left to his own devices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow wow wow, I've been sitting on this chapter for two months because I wanted to create a backlog but instead, I ended up falling into Final Fantasy XV hell so it was a bitch and a half to get back into the swing of this story.
> 
> I'm sorry for the delay and the fact that this chapter is only partially important but I hope it's amusing enough to make up for the wait. I already have chapter 10 in beta stages so hopefully, I don't take nearly as long to upload it as I did with this one.

Ren learns very quickly that there isn’t much he can do to distract Yusuke from his art. Even after he successfully manages to steer the conversation away from his loud, growling stomach, Yusuke only indulges him for a few minutes more before he’s back in front of the canvas. This time though, the hesitation and distraction Ren felt earlier are gone. The moment Yusuke’s brush finally reaches the canvas is the moment Ren realizes he’s lost all contact with his master. It’s almost funny how quickly it happens. Through their link, Ren can practically feel Yusuke’s disconnect with the world around them.

He’s completely focused on the painting now; his movements are mechanical, yet elegant. Yusuke’s manipulation of color and light on the painting is mind-blowing. Breathtaking, even.

It’s transfixing. Hypnotic… just like everything else about the Witch.

Ren has seen countless forms of magic throughout his years in the Metaverse, but nothing can ever compare to the magic humans make. It’s not the same kind of magic Witches use; it’s not spell-crafting or summoning rituals. It’s a type of magic only gifted to certain individuals, magic that Ren is <i>sure</i> comes purely from the mind. It’s wild, untamed energy. It’s so pure and powerful, a part of Ren wishes he was worthy enough to join Yusuke in this practice. Watching Yusuke now, as he loses himself in a world Ren isn't privy to; watching him paint beauty across a sea of colors, is both astounding and captivating. Beautiful. Unbelievable.

Lonely and isolating.

The ragged breath Ren draws in catches him off guard. The sound is sharp in the silent room, but just as he suspects, Yusuke doesn’t even flinch. He continues to paint and mumbles barely-comprehensible words under his breath.

Ren watches him for a moment longer. A minute stretches into five and then into ten. Silence weighs heavily around them.

Ren’s heart begins to quicken.

Hunger gnaws his stomach.

Tentatively, he reaches for their link in search of something, but just as he expects, Yusuke’s disconnect runs  _ deep _ . The gap he finds between them is frightening. Mentally, Ren tries to reach across the distance in hope of finding  _ something  _ of Yusuke, but all he feels is nothing.

Somehow, that’s far more terrifying than anything Ren has ever experienced.

“Yusuke,” He starts, low at first. When Yusuke doesn’t acknowledge him, he tries again more clearly. The only response he gets is a soft hum, and Ren isn’t sure if that was a sign of acknowledgment or just another one of Yusuke’s habits. “I’m going to explore. I’ll be back.”

Yusuke doesn’t reply, but Ren still waits. Another minute passes and still nothing.

Ren’s markings burn his flesh and something in his chest constricts, yet he says nothing.

“I’ll be back,” He says again.

“Hn,” Yusuke hums.

He continues to paint.

* * *

 

There isn’t much for Ren to do. He’s already explored everything the Atelier has to offer and the only thing Ren can think to do for entertainment is to find Madarame and… well, he’s not sure what he would do if he found Madarame He <i>is</i> certain that annoying the old man would be more distracting than panicking.

Despite the Atelier’s small size, Ren finds it difficult to find Madarame. He’s not in the kitchen, though Ren hadn't thought he would be. Snooping around the living room turns out to be just as much of a waste of time as checking the kitchen had been. Ren makes his way back up the stairs, ready to sniff out the old man’s scent when a loud, unabashed growl escapes his stomach.

He freezes in place and grips his stomach, his mouth forming into a grimace. The urge to sink his claws into his skin is tempting, but it’s a fruitless endeavor. There’s nothing else Ren can do to stop his hunger other than to eat. But eating isn’t something he’s willing to do. Not with Yusuke, not like this.

The memory of Yusuke’s blood on his tongue is faint, yet still just as enticing as it was the first time he tasted it. It’s not enough and it will never  _ be  _ enough, which is why he can’t indulge. He can’t  _ allow  _ himself to indulge in the one thing he  _ knows  _ could fix this.

It’s too much of a risk and Ren isn’t willing to destroy something he’s tried so hard to accomplish.

Yusuke deserves  _ better _ .

Ren takes a deep breath through his nose. He exhales slowly, calming his nerves and shaking out the excess energy from his limbs. The chocolate bar Ryuji gave him yesterday was a satisfying snack, and the energy he gained from it kept him sustained enough to comfort Yusuke in his dreams. But right now, it's long gone and without the nectar from the Holy Grail, Ren isn’t sure for how long he can keep Yusuke from worrying about him.

Maybe, if he can extend their distance long enough in a short amount of time, he can find a way back into the Metaverse to stock up on nectar?

It’s a silly idea, but it fills Ren with hope and gives him enough comfort to continue his search for the old man.

Ren finds him eventually, tucked away in his own private art room. The door is left ajar, unlike Yusuke who keeps his door wide open. Much the same way as Yusuke, Madarame’s attention is focused completely on his latest piece. Ren watches him from the doorway, deathly silent and just as transfixed.

The room isn’t entirely silent. Madarame has a radio playing in the background, yet, instead of playing music as Ren suspects, Madarame is listening to the daily news.

_ “…in other news, an incident occurred in Shinjuku last night involving a moving van—“ _

Madarame snorts and murmurs to himself, though Ren has a hard time making out what he says over the radio woman’s voice. He tries to tune out the radio and refocuses on Madarame, but his eyes are drawn to the painting instead. It surprises him, though he supposes it shouldn't, to find that Madarame’s painting is quite good. It’s not nearly as breathtaking as the one Yusuke is working on, but there’s proficiency in the way Madarame works. His style is vastly different than Yusuke’s, and it lacks the life that Yusuke seems to be only capable of bringing, but the painting is still captivating in its own way.

_ “…Prime Minister Shido released a statement earlier today—“ _

“Yes, yes, of course he did,” Madarame mumbles. “As he should.” He dips a slender paintbrush into a small lump of paint and brings it back to the canvas.

A devious thought flashes through Ren’s mind and just before he can open his mouth, he hears movement coming from down the hall. With a jerk, he turns to the sound and catches sight of Yusuke disappearing into a room just across from his art room. He shuts the door without a word. The lock clicking seems to echo down the hall.

Ren’s hackles rise.

He immediately heads for the locked door and wiggles the knob.

“It’s occupied,” He hears Yusuke say from the other side of the door.

An overwhelming wave of anxiety wells up inside Ren’s chest. “I know it's occupied. Can you please let me in?”

He reaches across their bond, and finds, much to his relief that Yusuke is there. His sense of disbelief is telling, but the undercurrent of curiosity that lies beneath it encourages Ren to wiggle the knob again.

“Ren,  _ I  _ am preoccupied.”

Ren knows, but he desperately wants to be in the room with Yusuke and he doesn’t understand why the Witch won’t let him. He pulls away from the door far enough to examine it further until he catches sight of a small gap between the floorboards and the door. Without a second thought, Ren drops to his knees and slides his fingers under the door. His knuckles hinder the rest of his journey, but it's enough.

“ _ Ren! _ ” Yusuke practically shrieks. “What are you doing?!”

“Yusuke, please, let me in.”

“You can wait your turn!”

Ren’s tail swishes erratically behind him. “No, it’s not that. I just—let me go in there with you.”

“ _ Ren, no! _ ”

“What is the meaning of all this noise?”

Ren whips his head around to see Madarame standing in the hallway, looking on in dumbfounded confusion. Madarame’s eyes trail from Ren to the door to the demon’s fingers under the door and then back to Ren. The silence that passes between them is heavy and just when Ren thinks Madarame will prove himself to be useful, the older man falls back into his room and slams the door shut.

“Don’t leave me here!” Ren cries out, suddenly agitated. “He won’t open the door! Madarame!”

Madarame’s door swings open and he settles a dangerous glare at Ren. “Let the boy use the restroom in peace, you foul, irritating demon!”

“You don’t understand,” Ren says, wiggling his fingers desperately. “I  _ need  _ to get in there! Yusuke, please!”

The loud slam he hears reverberates off the walls and no matter how many times Ren calls out to Yusuke’s sensei, the older man refuses to come out. Ren curses him out in his native tongue, his agitation rising. He’s thirty seconds away from breaking down the door when, finally, he hears the sound of running water. The door flies open and Ren peers upward into the eyes of Yusuke, who crouches down in front of him with a curious gaze.

“The bathroom is all yours,” He says with a frown.

Ren straightens his back and settles Yusuke with a deadpan stare. “I don’t need it.

* * *

Somewhere in Tokyo, in a quiet, out of the way alley, the atmosphere ripples and rips like cloth being forced apart. The fabric of reality warps around the epicenter, and as it expands further, something tumbles out of the opening and crashes unceremoniously onto the dirty, alley ground. Behind the creature, the fabric of reality reshapes itself. The tear sews itself back into place and soon, the alleyway is just as it was before, only with one occupant more.

The creature groans, pained by its unceremonious landing. It climbs to its feet, disoriented at first. It blinks for a few moments, trying its best to regain its bearings, and when it finally does, the creature jolts in realization.

It whips its head around, taking in the surroundings. An excited whoop escapes its throat.

“Okay, okay, okay, I’m here! It worked!” It— _ he _ —squeals loudly. “Now to find where he is.” The creature hums to himself, a careful, sharp claw tapping his chin.

He scans the rest of the alleyway for a moment then sniffs the rank air.

“Guess I’ll just wing it,” He muses. 

He picks a direction and moves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to [lizibabbles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liziscribbles/profile) for letting me play in XV for a month and still being excited for this story even though I'm a slow bastard.
> 
> If you haven't read it already, she's been working on [Midnight Eyes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19278970/chapters/45850060)  
> which is her take on vampire Ren and other supernatural funsies!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren withdraws. Yusuke worries, but more importantly, what's this cafe Ann is talking about?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't realize it was a whole month since my last update. Wow. I'm sorry!

Yusuke’s dreams are a nonsensical mess. They’re a blur of hands and fuzzy faces, of familiar fingers carting through his hair and soft whispers ghosting the shell of his ears. They’re peaceful in a way he’s slowly growing to love, and even when Yusuke can’t see where they are, he knows they’re at the base of a large, blooming tree. Cherry blossoms, he supposes, by the way the air around them smells.

It’s only the second time he’s been here, wrapped up in his companion's arms, and it's already one of his favorite places in the world. If only he could lift his head to see the dream for what it truly is.

If only he could  _ remember  _ who this familiar companion is... but like all dreams, it fades back into reality as Yusuke’s eyes flutter open.

He’s unbelievably comfortable, and despite feeling well-rested, he feels the lull of sleep wanting to tug him back into the dreamscape. As hard as it is, Yusuke forces his sleep-addled mind to focus. He tries to move his limbs, but a few things strike him at that moment.

The first being Ren. The demon has Yusuke wrapped up tightly in his arms, his forehead nestled deep into Yusuke’s shoulder blades. His horns and wings aren’t present this time and for that, Yusuke is grateful. He doesn't think it would be comfortable to have Ren’s horns poking into his back, and the weight of Ren’s wings, although warm, would’ve been too much on a hot day like today.

The second thing he notices—and it’s the one that makes him panic—is the tightness in his boxers.

He’s hard again.  _ Fantastic. _

With a resigned sigh, Yusuke tries to peel himself away from Ren’s vice-like grip. The demon resists and nestles his nose deeper into Yusuke’s back.

“Ren,” Yusuke sighs again, sliding his fingers underneath Ren’s arms. “Ren, wake up.”

The demon mumbles, but remains asleep.

“Honestly, demon,” Yusuke grumbles. He tries to peel Ren’s hands apart and manages to disentangle them until a loud growl fills the room. He freezes, surprised.

Ren’s hands suddenly lift away from Yusuke’s stomach and the demon shifts. When Yusuke glances over his shoulder, he finds the demon on his right side, with his back turned. He’s curled into the fetal position, his tail wrapped tightly in between his legs.

“Ren?” Yusuke tries again.

He gets no response. Yusuke snorts in amusement.

“The world can fall to its doom around you and you would sleep right through it, wouldn’t you?”

As he expects, he gets no response in return. The only sound that fills the room is the low grumble of the demon’s stomach. Yusuke heaves another heavy sigh but decides to shove that worry aside for later. He makes his way off the bed, careful not to disturb his sleeping companion and disappears into the bathroom to take care of more important matters.

When he returns, dressed for the day and freshly washed, Ren is still asleep. He hasn’t moved from his position and the longer Yusuke stares, the more he realizes his demon does, in fact, plan to sleep the whole morning away.

He pokes the demon delicately on the head experimentally. “Ren, wake up,” He says, voice low. “We have places to be, remember? Ann invited us out.”

Instead of the grunt Yusuke expects, Ren swaps his hand away with a grumpy groan. Yusuke snorts. He pokes the demon’s temples again.

“Ren, as enticing as it is to allow you to sleep the morning away, we promised Ann and her familiar we would see them today.”

“No,” The demon murmurs, swatting Yusuke’s hand away again. He buries his head beneath Yusuke’s pillow and stills.

“Ren.”

Ren’s tail jerks. Yusuke eyes it for a moment, his frustration mounting.

“Ren,” he tries again, but the most he gets is another lazy flick. He takes in a deep breath, shuts his eyes and then exhales slowly through his mouth.

“ _ Ren _ ,” he demands, and the way his voice carries through the room is surprisingly loud despite knowing he didn’t raise his voice at all. His skin prickles from the surge of magic that courses through his veins. It wasn’t meant to be a command, but Yusuke’s mounting frustration with Ren’s defiance tapped into a well of magic within their bond he had yet to explore.

And it works. Ren’s body goes rigid from the deep, magic-embedded command and when he finally unburies his head from beneath the pillow, he settles Yusuke with a wide-eyed, golden stare. His pupils are blown out, though Yusuke isn’t sure why, but he’s more distracted with the full gold color of Ren’s irises. There’s no trace of the dark gray Ren had when he was first summoned, and Yusuke can’t help but wonder if Ren’s changing eye color signifies the activation of their bond or if it meant something else.

He means to chastise the demon for his defiance, but the only thing that slips out of Yusuke’s mouth is:

“Your eyes are beautiful.”

Ren breaks their gaze quickly. A sliver of fear trickles into their bond, but it’s gone before Yusuke can inspect it further. He fights back the urge to grit his teeth. It’s unfair how easy it is for Ren to keep things from him when Yusuke barely understands how their link works. He hasn’t had the chance to fully explore what their bond has to offer, but after today, he surely plans to.

Ren’s quiet voice breaks the silence of the room, and it startles Yusuke out of his thoughts. “Th-thanks,” He grins, though it doesn’t feel quite as genuine as it should. “You must really like my eyes. That’s the second time this week you commented on them.” He teases. Now  _ that  _ sounds more real and Yusuke can’t help but chuckle.

“Gold suits you rather well,” Yusuke says with a soft smile. “Though, dark gray did as well.”

Ren’s smile loses its light for the breath of a second. Something in their bond stutters, Yusuke can feel it, but just like everything else that Ren does, it’s gone before Yusuke can comment.

Ren perches his chin onto the palm of his hands and flutters his lashes flirtatiously to Yusuke. A mischievous smile curls along Ren’s lips and Yusuke watches, with immense fascination and amusement, as Ren’s entire demeanor turns playful.

“If I didn’t know any better, it almost sounds like you're flirting with me,” Ren purrs, fluttering his eyes dramatically. “Has my master fallen head over heels for me already?”

Yusuke quirks an eyebrow, though a part of him internally cringes. “Master” didn’t seem like the right term for him, even if it was the correct one.

He doesn’t grace Ren with a response and instead leaves the demon on the bed as he gathers his keys and wallet.

“You have five minutes,” He says instead. He ignores the disappointed pout on Ren’s face but hopes his amusement bleeds into their bond.

* * *

Something light and fluttery wells up inside Yusuke’s chest when he messages Ann once they leave the Atelier. It’s almost mind boggling, knowing what awaits him after a quick train ride to their destination. Hanging out with friends is something Yusuke never thought he’d have the privilege of doing, not when there is always so much work to be done and so many art projects to finish. Ann’s unexpected gesture of goodwill back when she and Ryuji had helped resuscitate Ren replays in Yusuke’s mind. Spending time with her outside of the familiar walls of the academy seemed like something Yusuke couldn't pass up,

As his good mood settles into something more comfortable, Yusuke glances toward his companion beside him. Ren is abnormally silent throughout their journey. The bright gold of his eyes sticks out like a sore thumb in the shadows of the train, but what’s more concerning to Yusuke is the way his companion avoids his gaze. Ren keeps his eyes locked on the floor, his knuckles white from how taut his skin is. Yusuke can’t sense anything between their bond and he wonders if Ren is making a conscious effort to hide his discomfort.

The demon is hungry—no, starving at this point—but  _ why  _ won’t he let Yusuke help?

Yusuke turns his gaze back toward the window and mentally reaches for their bond. He feels Ren start beside him and lets himself smile when Ren reaches back towards him mentally.

_ I will find a way to help you.  _ He muses.  _ I promise, Ren. _

* * *

Finding Ann and Ryuji amidst the crowd when they stop is a trial, but luckily for Yusuke, Ren seems to have a radar for finding other demons. They find Ann’s familiar before they find the witch herself.

Ryuji greets them with a wide, ecstatic smile, but it’s short-lived. The moment his eyes land on Ren, Ryuji’s whole demeanor stiffens and his face screws up into something akin to concern. It makes Yusuke pause and a part of him feels a sliver of panic. But he doesn’t get the chance to voice his concerns.

Ann and, to Yusuke’s surprise, Haru joins the group with a large wicker basket in hand. Mona meows his own greeting from his place within Haru’s arms.

“Yeah, yeah, we heard you the first time,” Ryuji grumbles, rolling his eyes. Yusuke doesn’t miss the way Mona seems to narrow his eyes at the blond demon.

Yusuke turns his attention to Haru and smiles. “Oku—“ Haru gives him a steely look. “—Haru-senpai, I did not expect to see you today.”

“I invited her!” Ann cuts in, shoving the wicker basket into Ryuji’s hands the first opportunity she had. “I figured it’d be a good idea to have all of us relax together after what happened with you the other day.” Ann’s smile is so radiant, Yusuke can’t help but smile in return.

“Thank you for the invitation, Ann-chan,” Haru beams. Seeing both women glow with immeasurable happiness makes Yusuke feel warm inside. The radiance of their good mood is somewhat dimmed when Yusuke hears the soft, yet loud gurgle of a growling stomach. It isn’t loud enough for the girls to hear, but it’s enough for Yusuke to know where it’s coming from. He steals a quick glance Ren’s way and feels his chest constrict with the panic that flashes in his demon’s eyes.

Ryuji is closer to Ren now than before and there’s an expression on his face Yusuke can’t quite decipher. He’s muttering something under his breath. The words don’t make sense to him and the harder he strains his ears the less Yusuke understands. Ryuji’s eyes glance their way and suddenly, he snaps his mouth shut.

Ren turns to face them and it’s only then Yusuke realizes that his familiar isn’t staring at him, but at Haru instead.

“Is this your new friend, Yusuke?” She asks sweetly.

It takes them all off guard, but Yusuke recovers quickly.

“Erm, my familiar, yes,” Yusuke corrects. He feels their bond stutter for a moment and it makes him pause. “H-Haru-senpai, this is Ren. Ren, this is Haru, my upperclassman.”

“What a lovely name,” She smiles. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ren.”

“Th-thanks.”

Yusuke doesn’t like the hoarseness in Ren’s tone. It fills him with more worry and a desire to do  _ something  _ to alleviate whatever internal struggle his familiar is having, but he’s at a loss of what to do. He doesn’t get a chance to ponder his opportunities either. Once their introductions were finally over with, Ann leads the group out of the train station and into the bright morning day.

* * *

Their picnic is mostly peaceful. Ann leads them to a park that’s big enough for them to rest under the tree without the sounds of rowdy children nearby. It’s reminiscent to the cherry blossom tree Yusuke has been dreaming about lately, except the tree has green leaves rather than sakura blossoms. The air is comfortably warm, the breeze soft and despite how delicious their snacks are, Yusuke’s attention turns to Ren.

He eats his sandwich with calculated bites. He chews slowly, golden eyes fixated on nothing and the way his adam’s apple bobbles slowly with very gulp is so precise, Yusuke can already feel his hackles rising. He reaches for their bond and tries to send soothing assurance Ren’s way. He’s not sure if it works. Ren doesn’t so much as twitch to acknowledge Yusuke’s mental presence. The only movement he sees is the faintest flicker of Ren’s tail.

Yusuke eyes the blond demon beside Ren and finds Ryuji watching Ren too, brows furrowed. He leans into the distance between them and mutters something too low for Yusuke to hear.

Something unpleasant stirs within Yusuke’s chest and he almost chokes on his meal from the unexpected emotion. Suddenly, the good mood he’s been harboring for the past thirty minutes feels soured. He watches the demons; Ryuji’s lips move fast, far too close to Ren’s face for Yusuke’s liking, but what’s more irritating is the way Ren lets him. He sits there, chewing on his sandwich with as much vigor as a snail climbing a wall.

The conversation Haru and Ann are having beside him fails to reach Yusuke’s ears. He’s so focused on the way Ryuji seems to lean closer to Ren; on the way his lips are uncomfortably close to his familiar’s cheeks. Something ugly sinks into the pit of Yusuke’s stomach. A chill unlike anything he’s ever felt before crawls up his spine—

Suddenly, golden eyes are staring back at him and Yusuke physically startles. Now  _ all  _ eyes are on him, but he doesn’t take notice of the others. It’s only Ren’s gaze he holds.

“Uh, you okay there?” Ryuji asks.

“I’m sorry,” Haru suddenly says. “I must’ve accidentally startled you with my movement.”

“I’m fine,” Yusuke says, though his eyes are still fixated on Ren, who keeps his gaze steady. “It was my fault. I must have lost myself in a daze.”

He doesn’t hear the rest of the conversation because it’s at that moment he  _ finally  _ feels Ren’s presence within their bond. It assuages the ugly emotion roiling uncomfortably in his stomach until Yusuke physically relaxes on the picnic blanket. Ren’s soft chuckle is the first real sound he’s heard from the demon all day.

“Oh!” Ann gasps suddenly. “I think we’re close to the café from this place!”

“Uh, café?”

Ann hurriedly shoves the rest of her pastry into her mouth and tries her best not to choke. Ryuji watches her with unabashed amusement.

“They sell great coffee and curry,” She manages after a struggle. “I’ve been wanting to go back for ages since the last time I was here. We’ve gotta stop by!”

“Alright, alright, we’ll go. Sheesh!”

The café, as it turns out, isn’t far from the park. It’s a bit of a walk, but it's closer to the train station than Ann first realized. It’s a quaint little café tucked into an alleyway that Yusuke would otherwise miss. He doesn’t have much reason to be hanging around in Yongen-Jaya, but if Ann’s excitement is any indication of the food here, Yusuke thinks he’ll have to start making an exception.

Ann is the first to slip into the café, all bright smiles and bubbling excitement, followed by Haru and Ryuji. He’s next to enter with Ren close behind, but they both stop in front of the door, eyes scanning the small café. It’s mostly empty save for a man standing behind the counter. He greets them all with a customer service smile, but when his attention turns their way, Yusuke catches Ren’s barely audible gasp beside him.

Terror bleeds into their bond so intensely, it’s overwhelming.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many, many, grateful thank yous to [lizibabbles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liziscribbles/profile) for dealing with my slow ass.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren encounters an old "friend".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, I didn't realize it was this short LOL. We'll be seeing Futaba next chapter and some very important stuff~!
> 
> Also, [A VERY WONDERFUL PERSON MADE ART FOR THIS FIC AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I'M LOOKING AT YOU DEW!!!!!!!!](https://twitter.com/Dewdroptown/status/1157355747577081858) I'm still so humbled and emotional by their amazing work ToT ToT ToT!!!!!!
> 
> (please click my screaming to see the picture and consider supporting them & their beautiful art!! They are a wonderful, pure hearted soul ♥ I am forever humbled by their love and generosity, thank you ♥♥♥

Ren scrambles to get a hold of himself. He blocks their link as best as he can, but he knows he’s not fast enough when Yusuke turns to him, blue eyes inquisitive. The corner of Ren’s vision spots as an intense wave of vertigo hits him at that moment. He stumbles, but Yusuke is there to keep him anchored. Ren hopes their actions aren’t obvious. He wearily glances the man’s way, steeling himself for the worst, but to his surprise, the man behind the counter isn’t watching them anymore. He’s too busy preparing Haru’s and Ann’s order to pay any more attention to them and for that, Ren is grateful.

“Ren?” He hears Yusuke question, but Ren pulls himself away from his master’s warm touch.

“I’m fine,” He murmurs. He flashes Yusuke a bright smile, or at least, what he hopes is one. He’s not sure if it works. He still has the link between them closed, but the frown on Yusuke’s face leads him to believe that he’s not quite as convincing as he wanted to be. Even so, Yusuke doesn’t probe for answers.

“I’m back~!” Ren turns his attention toward Ann, who smiles brightly toward the man behind the counter. The way he visibly softens under her jubilant smile makes the corner of Ren’s mouth twitch. “And I’ve brought some friends!”

“Takamaki-san, welcome back,” The older man greets. He’s already halfway done with their coffee order when his eyes fall back on Ryuji and Ren. Ryuji doesn’t notice the way man’s soft smile turns sour, but Ren does. He can even sense the shock and displeasure radiating from him more intensely than the smell of coffee. “Please, take a seat. Your orders will be up in a moment.”

The girls take a seat at a nearby booth while Ryuji decides to slide into the chair in front of the counter. Before Ren can even choose where he wants to sit, Ryuji pulls out the chair beside him and flashes the demon a friendly grin. It’s not exactly the most ideal place to sit, especially when Ren wants to avoid the cafe manager at all costs, but turning Ryuji down now will lead to more suspicions than he’s willing to deal with. He takes the offered chair just as Yusuke joins the girls at their booth. 

Ren doesn’t miss the way Boss—was that really his nickname?—eyes him and Ryuji before sending a couple of drinks their way.

(Ren tries his best not to smack Ryuji’s cup off the counter, but the urge is unbelievably strong when hunger ravages his insides.)

“How is Futaba-chan?” Ann queries. “It’s been so long, I should’ve returned sooner!”

“I’ll give her a call,” Boss laughs. Ren nearly has another dizzy spell at the sound of it. He can’t recall ever hearing Boss laugh so freely like that in all of his life. And who the hell was “Futaba-chan?" “She’ll be happy to know you’re here.”

“Thank you, Boss!” 

Ryuji snorts into his coffee and nearly chokes.

“Ugh, what is this stuff?”

“Coffee,” Boss quips gruffly.

“Why’s it so bitter?!”

“It’s straight black. Though, I suppose that’s a bit _too_ strong for someone like you.”

Ryuji mutters unsavory words underneath his breath that the older man doesn’t hear. He turns his whole attention toward Ren and its then that Ren realizes why they’re both sitting so far away from the witches. He hunches forward, trying his best to make himself seem smaller and less noticeable. He can sense Boss’s prying eyes on them again and a sense of unease wells up inside him.

“Before you start with the lecture, I want you to know, I have very valid reasons for why I’m like this,” Ren murmurs, careful to keep his voice low enough so that it’s lost beneath Ann’s and Haru’s conversation with Yusuke.

Ryuji takes the hint and leans in close. “Yeah? And what reason is that other than starving yourself to death?”

Ren’s eyebrows disappear into his hairline. The words that leave Ryuji’s tongue is not the common tongue, but in the language of demons. The switch is so effortless, it takes Ren a moment to process it.

“I gave you chocolate for a _reason_ , Raezriel.” Ryuji continues, brown eyes flashing red. “You can’t keep doing this bullshit to yourself. It’s not good for you.”

“This again?” 

Both Ren and Ryuji jump. They whirl toward Boss, two pairs of eyes wide in horror. Boss rubs his beard casually, his expression disapproving but not as harshly as Ren expects it to be. “You haven’t changed a bit.”

Ryuji’s jaw nearly unhinges at the sound of their language leaving the Café owner’s lips, but Ren doesn’t give him a chance to vocalize his surprise. He leans back into the counter, the weight of the world suddenly pressing heavily on his shoulders.

“Sojiro,” Ren groans. “ _Please._ ”

Ryuji nearly chokes on his spittle. “What the hell?! You can understand us?!”

“Nothing gets past you, huh, kid?”

“Who the hell are you?!” Ryuji squeaks.

“Ryazzath, this is Sojiro. He was my caretaker when I was a baby,” Ren introduces.

Ryuji almost knocks over his untouched cup of black coffee. “Holy shit dude!! You’re a demon?!”

Sojiro’s sigh is heavy. “Keep your voice down. You’ll frighten my customers.”

Ryuji steals a look around the café. Other than their group, there is no one else around. “What customers?! It’s just us!”

Sojiro ignores Ryuji’s exclamation and settles Ren with an expectant look. He has the urge to shrivel underneath his old caretaker’s searching gaze. Shame bubbles up inside him. Before it has a chance to fester, Ryuji leans closer into the counter with wide, inquisitive eyes.

“Dude, you have _got_ to tell me the story behind this. What are you _doing_ out in the human world like this?!”

“Mind your manners, boy,” Sojiro barks, though Ren can sense there isn’t any real bite to it. He’d always been like that, tough on the outside but kinda, sorta soft on the inside. “I’m a roaming demon. I do as I please, when I please. One day, I decided the human world was a more interesting place than the Metaverse, so I opened up shop. That’s all. Ain’t nothing else to it.”

Ren knows there’s far more to it than Sojiro is letting on. He can sense the hesitation wafting from the older demon in waves, can even sense the soft tendrils of guilt and heartache buried deep within, but he doesn’t press; doesn’t think his old caretaker would take kindly to it anyway. Sojiro may have been kind when Ren was a demonling, he is most certainly not an open book. He keeps to himself a lot of the time, and once Ren was old enough to care for himself, Sojiro just disappeared. He didn’t even say goodbye, but Ren never held it against him or felt hurt by his departure. It was just something Sojiro did.

Seeing him now, all these years later, inside a café, serving human foods and drinks—it was pretty surreal. But more interesting than why Sojiro was stuck in the human world, was the _who_. Sojiro may be what the Metaverse would call a “Roaming Demon,” but it doesn't necessarily mean he was completely free.

He turned to the human world for a reason and that reason, Ren suspects, has everything to do with whoever “Futaba-chan” was. Was she a witch too? Did she manage to bind someone like Sojiro? And who was she to Sojiro to make him laugh and smile so kindly?

Ren’s mind buzzes with questions, and the more he watches Ryuji press his old caretaker for answers, the more curious he becomes. But before he can even muster the courage to ask, LeBlanc’s front door bursts open with a loud chime.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to [lizibabbles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liziscribbles/profile) for beta reading!!!!

**Author's Note:**

>    
> My socials:  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bluecrownfics?lang=en)  
> [tumblr](http://bluecrownfiction.tumblr.com/)


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